


3R1PM4V

by littlemarbles



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Biting, Cousin Incest, Crying, Fluff and Smut, Forehead Kisses, Hugs, Kissing, Mettablook, Mutual Pining, NOT vore, Nonbinary Napstablook, Other, Past Abuse Mention, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Robot Anatomy, Robot Napstablook, Self Confidence Issues, Unrequited Crush, Vaginal Fingering, don't get your hopes up, lots of cute shit, soft angst, that sounds ironic but i'm serious, vampire au but not really, why didn't i tag that earlier lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 14:59:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 40,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11084019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemarbles/pseuds/littlemarbles
Summary: Not long after the monsters were set free from their underground prison, a mysterious virus known only as "3R1PM4V" became an epidemic. Any electronics connected to the internet within 100 feet of infected devices have their batteries drained while the other gains a charge, and the infected shut down if they don't "eat" every 72 hours. More complex devices have displayed widely different reactions to the virus, so what happens when a sentient diva robot with a ghost's soul becomes heavily infected?





	1. Terribly Hungry

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Mettablook fic, meaning that it has cousin incest. Read at your own risk
> 
> I'm not sure where this story is going to go. I will try to put any and all trigger warnings before chapters with sensitive content but I don't think anything here will get bad enough to warrant an archive warning. That being said, if you are uncomfortable with the description of puncture wounds, blood or any type of injury, then do not read this.
> 
> Special thanks to a Ladi. She helped a lot with characterization and kept me motivated.
> 
> ONE MORE THING!! I tend to write in the wee hours of the night, and because of that there may be many typos. I apologize in advance for them and I'll be working to edit the chapters to the best of my ability.
> 
> Constructive criticism and suggestions are always welcome but please try to be nice. I'm a bit sensitive.

_Hungry._

That was the only word to describe what Mettaton had been feeling for the past day, and considering the fact that he didn't have to eat in the first place, this symptom was a bit concerning to him. He wasn't entirely sure if hunger was what he was feeling, but every time he walked past Alphys' fridge or her unfinished cup of cheap noodles, he had the overwhelming desire to eat. This was _also_ concerning, as he would never put dollar store foods in his _precious_ body that he would polish, clean, and admire for hours on end.

And yet, those microwavable noodles sounded like something he almost couldn't live without.

"A-Are you all right, Mettaton?"

Mettaton's eyes were torn away from the food when a familiar and somewhat nasally voice called out to him. It was, of course, Alphys wondering if he'd zoned out what staring at her lunch for the third time that day; which he did, but he wouldn't admit it.

"I'm fine," he replied with soft smile. "Why do you ask?"

Alphys adjusted her glasses and turned around in her chair to face Mettaton instead of her computer's monitor. "You've just been st-staring off into space for so long... I was starting to w-worry that you were running out of charge or something. You can zone out _real_ hard while low on battery."

While Alphys wasn't entirely wrong, Mettaton's battery was at seventy-six percent, which was decent considering the fact that he woke up at eight in the morning and their conversation took place at around noon. Despite a charge that would last well into the day, Mettaton was constantly fatigued and struggled to even crawl out of bed. It was a miracle that he was even standing there having a fluent conversation, but this was mostly due to the food within his general vicinity.

Mettaton shook his head. "No, I'm doing fine, dear. I've just realised that I haven't really gone out to my usual hangouts in quite some time. You know how easy I get cabin fever."

Alphys squinted at him before going to her microwave ramen for a quick bite. "M-hm... You c-can leave anytime, you know. As long as your wi-fi's shut off on you and your phone, you should be fine."

"Is _that_ how it's spreading?"

The **it** that Mettaton referred to was an anomaly-like virus that turned from an inconvenience to an epidemic over the course of three months. Anything within one hundred feet of an infected device would lose its battery life at an alarming rate, and also infect anything within a meter so long as both electronics were connected to the internet. Not only this, but if an infected unit doesn't come into contact with another device that can connect to the internet, then it will shut down within 72 hours.

Permanently.

Only recently was it discovered how it was being transmitted, and since then people have been canceling their internet subscriptions in order to prevent their beloved electronics from becoming infected. Of course, one can just shut off the internet on their phone or desktop computer, but there's really no point in having and paying for the service if you can't risk turning your devices on unless you're in a remote area.

Alphys placed her half-empty cup on her desk and sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, yeah. I can't even look up anything or s-search to see if there's a fix yet... I just really don't want my computer to be infected."

Mettaton nodded, and reached out to pat Alphys on the head. "It'll be fine, Al," he assured her confidently. "If people are shutting off their devices left and right, the infected ones can't infect any of the _other_ ones. Eventually, they'll all shut down and the bug will die out after a while."

Alphys smiled up at Mettaton and adjusted her glasses. "Yeah. The sacrifice of a f-few devices will be worth the functionality of the world's electronics. I-It'll take a while, but if there's no antivirus being made, then t-this is our next best bet."

Just as Alphys was beginning to relax, the loud and sudden sound of a car horn that played _La Cucaracha_ blared just outside of her lab/home. This caused Alphys to nearly jump out of her scales, and it caught Mettaton off guard as well.

Such a goofy and over-the-top horn belonged to car that was owned by a pair of oddball skeletons- one of which being Mettaton's occasional chauffeur to his cousin's apartment.

The other just sort of tagged along to tell bad jokes and sleep in the back seat.

"That g-gets me every time," Alphys admitted as she held her hand over her heart. "Are you going over there so soon? I thought you just visited them the other day."

Mettaton shrugged and patted down his pockets in search of his phone. Once he found the device, he checked his reflection in it as he spoke. "I know, I know. But ever since you graced them with their new body, I can't help but want to stare at your handywork as often as possible." He shot Alphys a quick wink before putting his phone back in his pocket. "Besides... I need to make up for lost time, and I _need_ to get out- not to mention how lonely they must be at home without internet access and only a few snails to talk to. You know they rarely leave the house, so _somebody_ needs to keep them company." 

The annoying sound blared outside the house once again, and that was Mettaton's queue to get going. He gave his blushing friend a platonic kiss on the forehead before taking off as quickly as he could in his high-heels.

Once outside, Mettaton waved at the owner of the red, race car-like vehicle parked in front of Alphys' home. He waved back as Mettaton took a seat next to him and buckled himself in.

"IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN," Papyrus exclaimed. "I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT GETTING OUT TO OPEN YOUR DOOR FOR YOU, BUT A CERTAIN SOMEONE LEFT KETCHUP PACKETS ON MY SEAT, AND I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE BEST FOR YOU NOT TO SEE ME IS SUCH A DEGRADING STATE."

"then maybe you should look before you sit down," Sans said from the back seat.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE SUCH A LAZY PILE OF CALCIUM THAT EATS IN MY CAR AND LEAVES HALF-OPENED CONDIMENTS IN MY SPOT."

Mettaton gave a subtle cough, and looked over to Papyrus in hopes that he would take the hint and get going already. He wasn't particularly in a rush, but with the way those two get into their little arguments so frequently can really eat away at one's free time.

"AH, YES! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL NOW TAKE YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION."

The ride to Napstablook's apartment was essentially the same as it was any other time Mettaton hitched a ride with the two goofballs; Papyrus bragged about wanting to go into the military and how hard he was training, Sans tried to his brother's dreams realistic while using wordplay ever three sentences, and Mettaton occasionally nodded and gave comments on whatever the two were talking about. He never really engaged in any sort of meaningful conversations with them, but simply sitting there in silence would most likely have him come off as rude or antisocial- which was **not** something a celebrity would ever want to be seen as.

It truly was just like any other trip they had, however, there was one thing that stood out from any other ride with the two.

Hunger.

Every fast food joint or mom n' pop restaurant they passed made Mettaton want to stop the car to gorge himself on the greasiest of foods. Even the local electronics stores caught his eye and pushed these intrusive thoughts further into the front of his mind. It made him wonder if pica was common among newly corporeal monsters. Something like that would make sense, right? If he was never able to consume solid, tangible food before, then it was probably completely normal for him to want to try and eat edible and nonedible things alike just to see how they taste.

"Thanks for the ride, dear," Mettaton said while placing about 80G in Papyrus' hand. "And please don't sit out here waiting for me like last time. I'll call you when I want to go home."

"BUT I'LL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER IF I NEVER MOVE FROM THIS SPOT! THE ONLY WAY I COULD COME TO YOUR AID MORE QUICKLY IS IF I DRIVE UP TO NAPSTABLOOK'S DOOR... AND I AM CERTAIN THAT DOING SO WOULD BE ILLEGAL, SEEING AS THEY ARE ON THE THIRD FLOOR."

"would it be less illegal if they lived on the first one?"

"NO, I'M PRETTY SURE THAT LAWS AREN'T RELATIVE TO THE HEIGHT OF ONE'S APARTMENT."

"but you could get away with it more easily that way."

As the brothers debated, Mettaton used the distraction to get to his destination before sunrise the next morning.

Napstablook's apartment complex was pretty average with nothing really notable about it. Six floors, a community rooftop, and a small balcony for each room. The only downside to his cousin living there was that the elevator always seemed to be out of order, so Mettaton was forced to climb some fairly steep stairs in his heels.

Before Mettaton could even knock on the door to his cousin's room, it opened just as he brought his hand up to the doorbell.

Like usual, Napstablook's robotic body was covered up by a baggy hoodie and a pair of black headphones with blue decal that matched their eyes. Their shaggy and somewhat curled white hair was in its natural, unkempt state that somewhat blocked their eyes. They were almost a head shorter than Mettaton, but had roughly the same, curvy body type and color scheme but with all the pink and black replaced with baby blue and white.

"I heard you coming," they explained in their soft, almost meek, voice. "With the hard floor... and all..... I can recognize your footsteps....... Is that weird?"

"Darling, I've got hellbent fans that can tell apart a rose that's been in my mouth among a thousand other roses with similar bite marks on them. You're not weird in the least." He paused to brush some hair out of his eye. "Besides, I'd be a bit disappointed if you couldn't distinguish my footsteps from another person's. I'm the only one who walks the way I walk, and these boots are custom."

"Oh....."

Mettaton stood there for a moment in awkward silence before clearing his throat and asking, "May I come in?"

Napstablook nodded, and stood to the side to let their cousin inside.

The interior of Napstablook's apartment was almost identical to their Underground home, but with an added open kitchen, a couch, and a bedroom that mostly contained tanks for their snails. The creaky wood floors and relatively empty layout made them feel right at home, but the lack of any other furniture caused Mettaton to feel somewhat uneasy every time he visited his cousin. With just a fridge, a few counters, the couch, and a television, the spacious apartment looked almost uninhabited.

"Do you... want anything to drink?" Napstablook asked after closing the door behind Mettaton. "I have some of your soda in the fridge... I know you like brand names... and yourself..."

Mettaton was grateful for Napstablook's offer, but kindly declined the drink. For some reason, his own brand of soda didn't sound very appetizing in that moment. As a matter of fact, his unusual hunger seemed to have gone away in the time between they left Papyrus' car and the time it took to walk up to Napstablook's home.

"Oh... well.... then.... can I ask.... why you're visiting? I have enough money for rent..... and you were over not too long ago." They tugged at the neck of their gray hood and sighed heavily before continuing. "Not that I don't enjoy your company... or something like that. I'm grateful that you're here, honestly. I just don't know _why_ you're here."

"Why I'm-" Mettaton squeezed his eye shut for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose; their sheer density made him even more fatigued than he already was at that point."-Blooky, we're family. Believe it or not, I actually **like** seeing you even when I don't need to drop off rent money or help you get used to your new metal casing."

While Napstablook awkwardly stood by the fridge as they tried to think of a way to respond to their cousin, Mettaton could have sworn he could hear their internal fans working overtime underneath their thick jumper. Not only that, but their normally plain yet adorable face almost looked a bit pink.

"Aren't you warm, sweetheart?" Mettaton asked with a slight head tilt.

Napstablook tugged at the end of their sleeve anxiously. "I think so... I'm not sure... What does 'warm' feel like again? I keep mixing up... warm and cold..."

"It's the opposite of cold," he explained while walking up to them. "It makes you want to take off layers of clothing and stand in front of a fan."

They nodded slowly. "Yeah, I... think that's what this is....."

"Let's get you out of this thing then, okay? Here, lift your arms up for me."

Mettaton grabbed the bottom of their hoodie, and Napstablook held their arms up as he pulled the garment off of them. Momentarily, a wave of heat radiated off their body, and it made Mettaton wonder why they hadn't taken it off earlier if they were that warm with it on.

"There," he said while tying the hood around his waist. "Isn't that much better? And, don't worry. I'm just holding onto it for the time being."

As they lowered their arms, Napstablook nodded once again, and mumbled out an, "Uh-huh." Their arms then moved to their natural position at their sides.

"Wonderful! Oh, you look more adorable every time I see you~! It's a shame that you cover yourself up so often, but I can understand the comfort of clothing."

"...Warm."

"Pardon?"

Napstablook reached up to place their fingertips on their cheeks. "My face... it's really warm... and I don't think I can take anything off to fix it..."

"That'll go away in a bit, dear. Heat doesn't dissipate instantl-"

"Could you check and see if it's not anything serious?" They asked as they rested their hands at their sides once again. "Sorry... for interrupting you..."

He sighed, only sounding _slightly_ annoyed at his cousin's persistence and borderline paranoia. "It's fine, Blooky."

As he leaned in to get a better look at them, Mettaton suddenly felt the fatigue from earlier finally catch up with him; along with the feeling of dizziness and flat-out exhaustion. He immediately put the blame on having a low charge, but what he was unaware of was the fact that his battery still remained over fifty-percent.

Before he knew it, Mettaton had essentially tripped over his own feet and began to tumble forward. He was lucky that Napstablook was as stiff as they were, otherwise he would have smashed his head on the counter behind them.

"Are you.... okay?" Napstablook asked meekly, as they were putting a majority of their current focus on keeping their cousin from falling to the floor.

Mettaton grunted softly while attempting to find his footing. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't stand without leaning on Blooky. It was just like when he first got his body and _insisted_ on walking in heels instead of literally anything else.

"Hey, don't push yourself.... I'll walk you to the couch, okay?"

"Blooky, I-"

Just as he was about to say something to convince them that he was fine, Mettaton was hit with the unrelenting hunger from earlier, only paired with a more than intrusive thought that invaded the front of his mind. However, unlike most intrusive thoughts that vanish within a few lingering seconds, this one stayed.

This one pushed every other glimmer of intellectual ideology to the side to make room for itself.

In those few moments without any rational or coherent thought, Mettaton gave in to the urge that consumed his circuits and filled his head to the brim. There was really nothing else he could do, especially since nothing else was there to snap him back to his former self.

Quite literally without thinking, he sank his teeth into the crook of Napstablook's neck, and slowly filled his battery's charge by draining theirs.


	2. Perfectly Deserving

For several seconds, Napstablook's mind almost refused to understand what was going on. There was this sensation that they experienced so sparingly that they didn't know how to react to it, and for what felt like eons, they simply stood there in confusion.

The odd feeling in their neck had a name, they knew this for sure, but they couldn't put a word to it. However, they _knew_ it was something they felt before. In fact, it was almost identical to the feeling in their hand when a stray cat clawed at them for petting its belly.

"It..... hurts..."

That was all they could really say for the time being. They figured that if they told Mettaton that what he was doing was hurting them, he'd let go. He _always_ listened to what they had to say, after all. Even if they felt like people would sometimes downright ignore them, they never _truly_ felt that way when talking with Mettaton; especially after coming to the surface.

But that didn't happen this time.

If anything, he only bit down **harder** , causing Napstablook to jolt sharply. His arms, once lifeless just a while ago when he struggled to stand up, wrapped tightly around Napstablook and pulled them in closer. His breathing became ragged and arrhythmic, and his fingers seemed to want to dig into their sides.

"Mettaton.... please... you're hurting me.... and I feel like I might--"

Napstablook was cut off by even more pressure being put on their neck. No response came from him aside from the occasional grunt and exhale. With how hard he was holding onto them with both his teeth and his arms, it was a miracle that Napstablook was still able to keep their balance. They nearly fell to the ground when that one cat scratched them, and this pain was coming from someone they knew and loved with all their Soul.

"Please.... sto...p..."

Once they realized that he wasn't going to let go so easily, Napstablook began to panic. With what little strength they had left, they attempted to push Mettaton off of them as tears streamed down their face. They were fully aware of what was going on at that point, and it hurt more than anything they ever experienced before. The sharp, stinging pain in their neck... the tight squeezing that felt like it was going to crack their casing open... the nails beneath thin, white gloves that were moments away from tearing into their body... and the fact that all these terrible feelings were being caused by someone they looked up to and loved dearly made it all the more unbearable.

No matter how hard they struggled or pleaded, there seemed to be no way to snap Mettaton out of his animalistic state. There was only one other thing that Napstablook could think of doing to end all this, and as much as they didn't like it, they prefered it over the pain that wracked their body.

Swiftly, Napstablook brought their leg up and kneed Mettaton in the groin as hard as they could; and since they were as weak as they were when they did this, there wasn't that much force behind their attack at all. Despite this, it proved to be enough to wake their cousin up; he didn't seem to be in any sort of pain from their actions, but at least it got him to back off.

A crimson-colored coolant dripped from the two puncture wounds on Napstablook's neck and from the corners of Mettaton's mouth. They both stood mere feet away from each other; both panting, both wondering if what happened was real or not.

Napstablook held a hand over their injuries as the coolant leaked between their fingers and stained their gloves. They wanted to say something to Mettaton, but they just barely had the energy to keep standing, and they figured that he might not listen to what they had to say.

Mettaton's mind quickly started clearing up, and he soon realized what he had done. The liquid in his mouth, on his lips, and down his chin stung him with its sickly sweet scent and taste. The way Napstablook looked at him with tears still running down their face and falling to the floor made him want to run away and hide in a cave until his battery died out. They looked so _hurt_   by what he did, and even though they had every right to feel upset or sad, Mettaton could guarantee that he felt just as horrible.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Those were the few words Napstablook was able to utter as their legs began to buckle. They knew Mettaton would never do anything like that without good reason, so they figured that they must've done something **heinous** to get him to hurt them. Was it because they didn't have any kind of drink he wanted? Did they offend him by asking why he was over? Did they not catch him correctly when he fell? There were countless reasons for Mettaton to lash out once they put some thought into it, so one of those **had** to be the answer. Maybe Napstablook did something that was against surface etiquette and he had to teach them about behaving properly the hard way.

No matter the explanation, Napstablook was certain that they deserved what was given to them.

"N-No, sweetheart," Mettaton started as he took a step towards them. "I don't know what came over me, I.... Blooky, I'm so sorry."

Napstablook shook their head. "You don't have to lie to me.... I did something bad... right? I really would have preferred it if.... you told me what I did wrong before you did that..."

"Blooky, you didn't do anything wrong-" Mettaton wiped his mouth as he forced himself to stand in a more natural position. One of them had to remain calm, after all; or at least _act_ like they were calm. "And we don't have time to talk about this, anyway. Look at you- you can hardly stand and you're bleeding all over because of me! Let's sit you down somewhere, okay? You can charge up while I fix you."

"Oh.... okay..."

As they took a step forward, Napstablook acted as if they suddenly forgot how to walk, and started plummeting towards the ground.

Thinking quickly, Mettaton caught them before they hit the floor and held the unconscious robot bridal style. He was surprised to find that he was able to hold them with ease since earlier he probably wouldn't have even been able to carry a light bag of groceries with both arms.

Near silence filled the stale air while Mettaton tended to his precious cousin. He used a specialized soldering kit that they kept in a drawer ever since Alphys gave it to them, and made a quick fix of the holes in the crook of their neck. While that was going on, he had already plugged them in to allow them to regain the charge they somehow lost during Mettaton's little episode. Once that was all settled, he cleaned the both of them up good as new with a sponge and some tap water. The coolant was soluble in water, and it didn't tend to stain smooth, non porous surfaces. Their gloves, however, were another story and had to be disposed of completely. Luckily, Mettaton always kept a few pairs in a compartment found on his chestplate.

After everything was said and done, Mettaton decided to wait for his cousin to wake up to see if they were going to be all right.

With them lying on their back across the couch that could barely fit them like that, Mettaton sat with their head on his lap. He wasn't entirely sure if they're be comfortable in such a position, but it sounded good to him at the time

Slowly, Napstablook began to stir, and their immediate reaction was to start poking at the charging cable that was in their chest. They couldn't remember lying down to charge, but then again, their memory really wasn't the greatest to begin with.

"How are you feeling, darling?" Mettaton asked in the softest, least-threatening voice he could pull off.

Napstablook furrowed their brow at his tone. He was normally so loud and charismatic, but in that instance it almost sounded as if he was doing an impression of them.

"I'm feeling okay," they explained casually. "I'm a little worried.... and a little tired..."

Mettaton's expression quickly turned troubled while he positioned himself to look at them more directly. "No need to worry about a thing, Blooky. You're going to be fine. If you want, I can get us over to Alphys' place to give you a quick check up."

"No, I mean.... I'm worried about _you_. Did you... swallow any of that coolant? It might damage your insides..."

Mettaton scratched the side of his face as he thought. "I _might_ have, but not on purpose. I'll be fine, though-" He placed his own hand on theirs to try and comfort them a bit. "-Are you **sure** you're feeling fine?"

Napstablook nodded. "It still hurts.... but I'm okay..."

"Blooky... You know that I didn't **mean** to hurt you, right?" He reached out to gently touch where he bit them, and as he did so, Napstablook flinched slightly. Mettaton whined internally at their actions, but he forced his expression to shift to a more positive one as to not worry them. "I know that it doesn't excuse that fact that I did it, but that was never my intent. I'd never do anything to you like that on purpose."

"Oh.... then.... Why **did** you do it?"

There was a short pause between Napstablook's question and Mettaton's answer. It only took him a few moments to find the right words, and that in itself scared him.

"I might know why, but for once I don't want to be right."


	3. Repairs

"D-Did you solder them without cleaning the wound first?"

Soon after Mettaton realized what might be wrong with him, he called Papyrus back and had him drive Mettaton and Napstablook back to Alphys' place. He wanted to tell her what was going on, but because he didn't want to barge into her home and telling her that he's ill, he put Napstablook's problems before his own. Besides, he might have just been malfunctioning in a minor way while Napstablook had poorly-repaired holes in their neck that he _apparently_ soldered wrong.

Mettaton nodded as he checked on his nails in a _totally_ normal manner. It didn't look unnatural in any way, shape, or form, especially since he was wearing gloves. "M-hm. Why?"

Alphys sighed heavily while examining his shoddy work. "You're supposed to clean it first, otherwise the wound'll be easy to open again. Plus, it j-just looks kinda funny now. They've got two red-ish dots on their neck."

"I don't really mind," Napstablook said. "It doesn't hurt anymore..... I can cover it up with my jacket... and it's not like anyone else will see it."

"Are you not at all worried about why he did that? You're n-not even going to ask for an apology from him now that he isn't trying to bite you?"

"Alphys, I'm not a maniac. And I've been meaning to talk to you about an issue I-"

"He apologized," they admitted softly as their legs swung lazing over the table they shared with Alphys. "He didn't mean it... and he's done _worse_ to me before..."

And that right there hurt Mettaton worse than anything a human could ever do to him. The fact that they implied that he'd done something _worse_ than nearly taking a chunk out of their neck made him want to pipe up about it, but what was there for him to say? They were _right_. A bite was probably **nothing** compared to god knows how long he left them on their own.

Awkward silence filled the room before Alphys continued.

"A-Anyway, if you-" she motioned towards Mettaton "-want to keep being freaky with you c-cousin like that, at least do it safely! Learn to p-properly fix the damage you do to them so that I don't have to see what you guys do in the bedroom."

Mettaton's face flushed a deep pink, and he bit his lip at her words. "We weren't doing anything like _that_! God, I could have pretty much anyone on this planet, and you think I'm going to do those things with my own cousin?"

"Oh....."

Mettaton turned towards Napstablook, his face then full of regret and shame. "Oh, Blooky... I didn't mean it like that. You know I love you to death, but I love you as family. You're my precious, darling cousin. No man or monster is ever going to come between us, all right?"

Alphys cleared her throat, and tapped Mettaton on the arm. "Then is it okay if I ask _why_ you did that, then?"

"Ah... Yes, of course! I'd like to speak to you alone, however," he explained as he quickly put on a more levelheaded expression.

With a sigh, Alphys lead Mettaton to a separate room while Napstablook stayed on their table. The room they entered appeared to function both as a kitchen and a workout area, if one is to judge by the fridge, stove, barbells, and yoga ball; It looked a lot like Undyne's old place before it burned down, but with a few touches of ' _Alphys lives here too_.'

"I don't mean to rush you," Alphys admitted, "But c-could you spill it already?"

Another pause. Mettaton wasn't sure how to explain himself without causing her to panic. " _Hey, Alphys my good friend! I think I may have caught a silly little virus that is **basically** guaranteed to kill anything that it infects. Isn't that just the darndest thing?_ "

"Mettaton..?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He was an _actor_. He felt confident in explaining it without scaring her to death. "Alphys, dear. It would be in your best interest not to panic, but-"

Already, he could see his friend reflexively tense up. From those words alone, she knew that something was wrong, and they both knew it was too late to dismiss the whole thing.

"-I haven't been feeling well lately. I haven't been myself, and you know it. I've been hungry- starving, even. I felt exhausted today despite my battery being over fifty percent, and I drained theirs somehow, which isn't a feature in this form. Please, _please_ don't make a big deal out of it, but... Al, I think you already know what's wrong."

Her face remained calm and composed, but her shaking claws screamed _worry_ , _panic_ , and _hug your best friend before he dies_. "A-And... why am I not suppose to fret over this?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Because I feel perfectly fine after the little incident I had with them. And... neither of us are hooked up to the internet, so I doubt they have it now because of me."

One could almost see the little gears turning in Alphys' head until she placed her hands on either side of her face before blurting out, "Oh. My god. You won't die, you just need to..."

And that was when the realization set in. Her eyes widened, and she was almost speaking loud enough for Napstablook to hear her.

"You can't k-keep doing that to them, though! We'll just buy you some batteries to munch on instead, okay? I don't want them to go through that again."

"And you think **I** do? The last thing I want is for them to be in any more pain because of me, but I doubt AA batteries are going to help curb this thing." He folded his arms and sighed out in irritation. "You know how long it takes for me to charge, and it takes them _just_ as long. Besides, we don't know if I have to bite them like that yet! We could just hug, maybe."

Alphys shook her head. "But how d-did you get it in the first place? Didn't you shut down all your wireless connections the moment I told you to?"

Then came the embarrassed finger twiddling, indicating that he **probably** didn't. It was most likely his own fault he got infected, but there was no point in Alphys yelling at him if he could die in less than a week.

"Ugh. All right. Do you wanna tell them, or..?"

Mettaton hesitantly shook his head. "I'm not very good at breaking bad news to them, Al. But they need to know."

With that being said, Alphys shuffled into the other room to tell Napstablook what they were taking about. Mettaton stayed in the kitchen and began to chew at the fingertips of his gloves out of habit. He simply couldn't bring himself to tell them anything, but worrying about how Alphys would describe it wasn't doing him much good. All he could do was wait until he felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around him from behind.

Napstablook was holding onto him more tightly that he could ever remember them hugging him, and it sounded as if they were trying to say something, but it all came out as a shaky, crying mess of words, sniffles, and mumbling. Alphys tried telling Mettaton how they were holding back tears as she told them about his new problem, but their reaction said it all.

"Blooky," Mettaton began softly, "I can't hug you back when you're behind me like that."

They didn't budge, but the sound of Mettaton's voice seemed to have calmed them down some.

"I don't.......... wanna lose you.... again..... Not for good....."

"Oh, honey... You won't lose me again. Not now, not anytime in the future. Alphys is going to get all this cleared up! Won't you, darling?"

"Huh?" Alphys looked up at Mettaton, who gave her a quick wink in response. Although, seeing as only one of his eyes showed, it was more of a quick and awkward blink. "Oh! Y-Yeah, I'll get to w-work on this as soon as I can. Don't you even worry about it, okay? I can fix this. Yeah, everything's going to be fine! I... _We_ promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops, it's a short chapter mostly explaining stuff and junk
> 
> better things will happen in the next one
> 
> like more biting
> 
> ye


	4. Choking on Ichor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ichor is my new favorite word ok

"Look, can I just come in?"

Not even two days after finding out what had been going on with him, Mettaton showed up back at Napstablook's home. Like before, they opened the door to him before he could even bring his hand up to knock, and they'd been trying to explain the same thing as last time, but their sentence fizzled out. Mettaton had to put his foot down at some point, even if it made him sound rude, because they'd go on and on about nothing otherwise.

"Oh.... okay....."

Not much changed interior-wise since his last visit, although he **did** notice that they cleaned up a bit. Their home wasn't particularly filthy before, but it looked like the place had been freshly dusted and swept since last time.

"So...... are you here..... to........"

 "Yes, but.... we don't have to do anything right away," he clarified. "I'm fine for the time being, but I wanted to get it out of the way by the end of today."

"......Neat."

A few long seconds of awkward silence passed before Napstablook decided to plop down on their couch and turn on the television. The only thing being played at the time were commercials, but it was mostly there for background noise. Although, there wasn't much noise to be heard from it since they had the volume turned down so low on the wall-mounted TV that Mettaton's footsteps overwhelmed the sound of people trying to sell the viewers overpriced cars.

Mettaton took a seat next to them while contemplating on how to go about all this. Should he ask about it directly? Should he wait for them to ask? The more he sat there next to them, the more he just wanted to get it over with and sleep for another day and a half.

As if to answer his unspoken questions, Napstablook began scooting closer to him until they were firmly pressed against him, and cleared their throat before asking, "How do you..... want to do this?"

A stifled laugh came from Mettaton after they spoke. He wasn't sure why, but they way they said that just _tickled_ him. He didn't want to burst out laughing since it might hurt their feelings, but he couldn't do much to stop it from happening.

"Did I..... say something wrong?"

"No," he started, "it's just... I think it's just so awkward that it's _funny_ to me."

"Oh......."

"But, to answer your question; I'm not entirely sure." He let out a sigh and turned to face them more directly. "I'd really rather not hurt you again, so let's see if it'll work if we get close enough to each other. Last time I checked, most devices don't bite anything to get a charge."

Without really saying anything else, Mettaton wrapped his arms tightly around Napstablook in hopes that it would be all he needed. They hugged back, albeit not as tightly as him since they didn't want to come off as clingy.

The hug was nice and comforting for the both of them, as hugs tend to be for most people and monsters alike. After a few moments of silence and changing positions so that they were both facing each other, Mettaton didn't feel much different. If anything, his intrusive thoughts were only becoming more prominent.

"It's not working..... is it?"

Mettaton gave a sorrowful sigh. "No, but I'm not giving up so easily. We'll just... have to get even closer."

Napstablook looked down at their chest that was tightly squished against Mettaton's, and looked back up at him with a doubtful expression. "I'm not sure how much closer we can get...."

"Well, I can always have you sit on my lap, but I'm not sure how comfortable you'd be with it."

This was a little more than confusing to Napstablook. Why _wouldn't_ they be comfortable with sitting there? They were family, and family does those sorts of things... don't they?

"It's fine," they said while slowly maneuvering their way onto his lap. "It's not like it hurts.... or anything....."

At that point, they really _couldn't_ get much closer. Their legs were wrapped around him, and with the general ease that they put each other at, it was wonderfully snug. Mettaton couldn't remember if they'd ever spent that long is such a cozy position since they were ghosts, and even before then, such an act was hard to recall.

Again, it felt nice to be snuggled up to one another, but Mettaton wasn't feeling any better than before.

"It isn't working," Napstablook stated plainly with a bit of vexation lacing their voice. "You can.... bite my wrist or something if you want..... It'll be harder to see and easier to repair that way.... I think...."

Mettaton untangled himself from them and gently moved them back to make some space between the two; they were still on his lap, but they weren't glued together anymore. "Blooky, I really don't want to try that yet."

Despite his clear opinion on the situation, Mettaton rolled up the left sleeve of their sweater regardless. Their segmented, metallic arms were similar in texture to their neck and certain parts of their face, as were Mettaton's.

"Then... what are you...."

At a leisurely pace, he brought their wrist up to his parted lips, and lightly tapped his fangs against them. It felt like he was nibbling on something soft wrapped in thick tinfoil, and his actions earned muted laughter from them.

"That... feels funny...."

It was such an odd sensation to them. It didn't hurt, it didn't feel good, and it didn't feel _bad_ , either. The fact that he could hurt a person with his teeth and then make the same person laugh with them was fascinating. He could probably make someone feel pleasant with them as well, although achieving such a thing sounded impossible.

"I don't think.... this is working either.... Mettaton....."

"I know, I know... I'm trying to stay optimistic here."

Napstablook made a sort of quiet whining noise before covering up their eyes with their free arm. They **really** weren't in the mood to be hurt again. "Can you make it quick.... please? I mean.... you can do it for as long as you want..... but it'd be nice.... if you could make the initial bite real quick...."

Mettaton nodded and then gave a hum of agreement upon realizing that they couldn't see him. "Of course, love. I'll make it as painless as I can."

He gave their wrist a cursory kiss as if to apologize for his actions before swiftly pushing his fangs into them. Napstablook gasped and jolted against him; it wasn't as painful as before since they were able to brace for it, but it still stung quite a bit.

Not long after biting down, Mettaton could feel his head fill with blurry static. Feeling his cousin's weight on him helped keep him grounded, however. He was **much** more aware of his surroundings than before.

After nearly a minute of hiding behind their arm, Napstablook felt more exhausted than they usually did. They peered out from the visual safety of their arm to see Mettaton with his eye lazily shut, and their crimson coolant run from the corner of his mouth down his chin. It was at that point where Napstablook felt as if he had enough, seeing as they didn't want him swallowing any of the stuff. This, however posed a problem for them. They couldn't push him away since he'd tear bigger holes in them, and they were reluctant to try and snap him out of his state in a violent manner such as before. At least that time they had more control over how they would go about it.

They started slow by giving Mettaton a few soft taps on the shoulder and told him that they were getting tired. To their surprise, his eye opened, and he pulled himself away from them with caution. Coolant dripped from his lips, down his fangs, and rolled off his tongue without him really noticing or caring, and this immediately made Blooky worry. Along with this, he somehow looked like he wasn't entirely there- mentally, anyway. Although, since he'd stopped without them having to use much force, they deemed that it went better than it did last time.

The way Mettaton's eye ran over their body made Napstablook anxious. It looked as if he hadn't slept in days, and the red that clung to his mouth that he didn't even seem to notice only made them more uneasy.

"Oh.... hey, you.... you weren't **drinking** that stuff, were you?"

Once the question left their lips, Mettaton's face twisted into an expression of disgust. The coolant itself wasn't necessarily gross, but since he wasn't expecting the taste or texture when he came to, it caught him off guard. Soon enough, he quickly stood up and made his way to the kitchen sink where he proceeded to rinse his mouth out with the sprayer. Napstablook followed him to make sure he was all right, and to also retrieve the soldering kit from the counter. By the time he was done exaggerating the quantity of ichor in his mouth, they already cleaned and fixed their wound.

"How..... are you feeling?"

Mettaton groaned softly while drying his lips off before answering. "Ehh.... Not as... full? As I felt before, but I'll be fine. Thank you, Blooky."

"Oh... it's no problem...... I prefer this over not seeing you again......"

There was nothing to say after that. It was nice for them to enjoy each other's company without saying anything for once. It wasn't an awkward silence in the least, and it was almost reminiscent of how things were before Mettaton left the farm to be a star. Before all that, they'd often just sit together and enjoy the quiet that came along with watching the snails snail around. One benefit to the lack of talking was the fact that they could both hear the area around them more easily; the water flowing, the footsteps of any monsters passing by...

...The television that had been left on.

"Yessir, I do believe that I have found a cure for the 3-R-1 virus going around."

At the sound of this, Mettaton and Napstablook immediately dropped what they were doing and ran over to the television. The volume was promptly turned up, and the screen showed a brown, rabbit-like monster with ears that fell to the sides of his face. He was wearing a sort of black cashier's outfit, and several microphones from a variety of TV stations were being shoved around his face. He didn't seem to be bothered by any of the attention, and even went on to direct where the cameraman should be filming him from.

Standing outside of a general electronic's store, the rabbit monster continued.

"It wipes your a lot of your system's files in the process, but you won't have'ta deal with the virus any more. If anyone wants me to fix their phones and stuff, just come on by here and I'll see what I can do."

A sincere and overly sweet smile spread across his face when he finished talking, and with this came some soft laughter from Mettaton.

He didn't have to hurt them again.

If he would have waited and watched TV for a bit, he wouldn't have had to go through all that with them.

More laughter erupted from him, causing the robot to hunch over some while holding his abdomen.

"God.... God damn it...."

Napstablook gave him a sheepish pat on the back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied, quickly composing himself and standing up straight. "That'll teach me not to rush into things with you, huh? C'mon, let's make sure you're okay and we can head out there. I need to see if this guy can do anything about my little issue." 


	5. False Hopes

The crowd gathered around the electronic's shop was big enough to make Mettaton jealous. It didn't hold a candle to most shows he hosted, but the fact that so many people were drawn to someone without fame and probably only one discernible talent made him a tad envious. When was the last time he had a group of people and monsters almost **fighting** to get up front? They weren't necessarily violent or angry, but at any given moment the tension they all gave off felt as if it might catch fire to the air around them.

Like a God among men, Mettaton was able to pass almost freely through the crowd, as it parted like the Red Sea before him. Napstablook decided to stay back since they claimed they'd "Just get in the way." Not wanting to waste any time, Mettaton simply told them that he was going on ahead alone so he they wouldn't be uncomfortable by the tightly-packed gathering. Out of nowhere, Sans popped up from thin air to keep them company... and by that, he meant that he was going to lean on them and make observational puns.

At least they'd be with a familiar face.

The very front of the gathering had but a single man with flocks of desperate teens around him. He was a rabbit monster, not too dissimilar from the Nice Cream Guy back in Snowdin, although his fur was entirely chestnut brown instead of the iconic blue Mettaton and many others grew to love. His plain cashier's uniform had a tag on it that read "Lepori," and his upright ears complimented his stressed but otherwise friendly face. A lot of pressure must have been put on the guy if he was the only person capable and/or willing to fix everyone's devices.

With the twitch of his pink nose, Lepori the rabbit began speaking to Mettaton. "I'm sorry, sir," he started in a gentle voice with a hint of concern, "there's lotsa people here waitin' for me. You can't just-"

"You don't understand. I need to speak you you in private." He chewed his lip while thinking of the right way to word everything without making it obvious. "I have something important to me that needs fixing **now**."

Lepori pouted some as his eyes darted by the increasingly impatient cluster of humans and monsters. "But it just wouldn't be fair. I know yer a celebrity and all, but-"

A disturbing smile made its way onto Mettaton's face as he reached into his pocket and produced a rather impressive stack of cash for this exact occasion. There was a lot more money than he thought there was, and he really had no idea how the currency worked on the surface yet. More often than not, he would bring hundreds of dollars with him when buying simple things such as light bulbs or bread.

Lepori looked down at the money, up at Mettaton, and then pocketed said dough before leading him into the shop behind him. He assured his customers that he would only be a minute before disappearing with the robot.

The little shop looked about as average it is got when it comes down to averageness in electronics stores. Phones and laptops were on display in the large, unlit room. The gray carpet felt weird and rough, as if it hadn't been cleaned in quite some time. All in all, whoever owned the place could stand to hire someone to do some vacuuming.

Mettaton soon found himself walking past a wooden door with a crudely drawn sign taped to it that read "Employees Only." The back room was much darker, lacked the gross carpet, and contained a few tables along with many shelves filled with unlabeled cardboard boxes in a disparity of sizes. In the very back, a brightly-lit EXIT sign could be seen hanging over a door.

"Waddaya need fixed, friend?" Lepori asked while grinning ear-to-ear. He looked pretty happy to be helping Mettaton out, but he was most likely glad to be able to use his newfound riches to quit his job.

"Me."

His once upright ears dropped, as did his cheerful expression. "P-Pardon?"

Mettaton sighed in an obviously frustrated manner. "Me. **I'm** infected, and I need you to fix me. I'll pay you however much you want, just... fix me, all right? And keep it a secret while you're at it."

"I can't."

Not a sound could be heard from him, but once could almost hear the " **What?!** " simply by looking at Mettaton's face.

"Buddy, I specialize in phones and laptops-" he ran a hand through his ears and small tuft of hair on his head, "-not _androids_."

Rightfully so, Mettaton was upset. He could both feel and hear his internal fans kick on as he held back the scream he wanted to let loose. However, he wasn't as pissed as he expected himself to be. What did he _think_ was going to happen, anyway? Why didn't he just call Alphys and have her talk with this guy to see if they could do something together? He felt even angrier at **himself** for thinking this would work.

With a loud groan and a slap on his own forehead, Mettaton finally replied. "I think I know somebody that you can work wi-"

During the time that Mettaton was having an internal struggle, Lepori was already making his way to the exit with cash in hand. He had no real reason to stick around anymore if he already got his pay, and he wasn't going to waste his time working on some bucket of bolts if he could leave.

As if they both shared the same thoughts, the two darted for the back of the room as quickly as their legs could carry them. Being closer to the door, and also being a particularly speedy type of monster, Lepori made it out first. Mettaton was close behind him, but the monster was nowhere to be seen in the sparse woods behind the store once he got out. Not a trace of him could be seen nor heard in or around the rural area, and no sound aside from the irritated crowd out front was even audible.

Now thoroughly pissed at himself, Mettaton was on the verge of tears. With no cure, less cash, and the fact that he wasted his cousin's time, his hands ran roughly through his hair as his frustration grew. Seeing as he was practically all alone, and seeing that he ran fresh out of patience and self-control thirty seconds ago, he gave a sharp tug on his hair right before letting out a scream. It wasn't the type of noise a human who was being murdered would make, but rather, the exact kind of sound a human would emit after having the day Mettaton did. It didn't last long, either. It sounded a lot more like a burst of angry and frustrated noises than a scream or shout.

"Are you... okay..?"

Of course, the person who knew Mettaton better than Mettaton knew Mettaton came running when they heard his voice. Along with them came a small group of concerned people, plus a seemingly unconscious Sans who was asleep in one of Napstablook's arms. They held him like an American Football but with a blue hoodie and dangly limbs.

"Blooky, what the hell are you doing?"

They approached their distressed cousin with the skeleton still under their arm. "He fell asleep on me.... and I haven't seen his brother...... so I couldn't just leave him there..... he might get stepped on........." They carefully placed him down on the ground next to them. "Uhh..... is it all right... if I ask what's wrong?"

Mettaton took in a sharp breath as he composed himself- he _really_ didn't need to take out his frustration on one of his only sources of happiness. "Not really, no. Can we just go back to your place, Blooky? I could really use a pick-me-up, and I'd rather not have this day be totally wasted by some rabbit I'll never see again."

Napstablook nodded, and from behind, Papyrus scooped his still sleeping brother into his arms. "I'D BE HAPPY TO CHAUFFEUR YOU TO YOUR LOCATION, METTATON AND METTATON'S COUSIN. I WOULD ALSO LIKE FOR MY DAY TO NOT BE WASTED, YOU KNOW."

* * *

The drive back to Napstablook's home was quiet and mostly uneventful. The air felt unusually cold, and Sans probably commented on it in such a way that made Papyrus less than happy, but the cousins weren't paying much attention to them. Once at their destination, Mettaton silently meandered up to their apartment, made a beeline towards their couch, sat down on the thing, and patted the space directly adjacent next to him. The speed and precision he used to get to his position left Napsta dazed and confused, as the only time he ever looked that determined occured when there was an emergency.

Did he need to "recharge" already?

Assuming he needed to eat again, Napstablook sat next to him and closed their eyes. They'd done it enough times for words to be optional by then, right?

"Are you feeling tired, sweetheart?"

The question made their eyes snap open, only to look questioningly at him moments later. "No..... I just thought.... that..... you needed me......"

"I _do_ need you! I said that I needed a pick-me-up, and your soothing voice and softness in general _always_ help."

 _Soothing?_ Did he imply that they were helpful without even trying to be? The thought alone made their pale cheeks turn strawberry colored. "Do you.... need me to.... talk..? Or something?"

Mettaton shrugged. "Honestly, I just thought it'd be nice to sit here with you and not worry about anything for once. It's been so long since we-" he meshed his fingers together "-you know... talked and hung out like we used to."

"Oh... you could have.... explained that in the car..... instead of running up here like a madman...... and scaring me a little...."

"Did I scare you?" He tilted his head. "I didn't mean to, I hope you know that."

"It's fine..... I'm not used to you moving so quickly.... without explanation is all...... I was worried you needed to eat again..... and that you might have been dying really quickly......."

"Oh, no no no!" Mettaton wrapped his arms around them, pulling their into a tight hug that they certainly weren't expecting at the time. "Honey, I'm fine! Is it so bad that I want to spend some quality time with my favorite cousin without telegraphing it to the world?"

"...I'm your favorite?"

"Yes, but don't tell Maddie or Rue."

Napstablook couldn't recall if he'd spoken to the rest of their family since they arrived to the surface. In fact, that was the first time he even acknowledged them- from _their_ memory, at least.

Still, they... appreciated(?) Mettaton's words, although since they couldn't find anything else to say, they settled on simply hugging him back. It felt nice knowing that they were somebody's favorite, although they were unsure if they were worthy of such a title.

"You know," Mettaton began, "I sort of just realized that we can... touch each other like normal monsters. I could hold your hand if you would let me...."

"Oh...... yeah.... we can, can't we?"

A soft laugh escaped Mettaton's lips as he pulled away from them. "You're as oblivious as ever," he said in a playful tone. "I'm asking if I can hold your hand, love."

The little LED lights that made up Napstablook's eyes flickered into tiny question marks upon hearing Mettaton's request. "Are you... feeling okay? You're not usually.... so....." They gestured vaguely with their hands. "Like _this_."

"I'm feeling a bit affectionate is all. I can back off if you'd like."

If he was being honest, he would have told them that he wasn't sure as to why he wanted physical contact with them so suddenly. They were right- he rarely _ever_ wanted to be touched or held by anyone, although his bias on such things was altered due to fans that don't know how to keep their paws to themselves.

"It's fine..... I don't mind......"

"Besides-" he took one of their hands into his, and gently caressed it with his thumb "-Have you ever really _felt_ another monster's hand? All the little structures and details?"

They desperately wanted to point out how odd he'd been acting, but having their hand touched and squeezed so gently felt pretty nice. They never went off to grab anyone else's digits or bones or whatever they had, so focusing on how Mettaton traced and pressed their palm and fingers felt like an entirely new sensation.

Even if they did put the spotlight on his behaviour, what were they going to do? Tell him that he couldn't touch them? His actions were harmless, so why not let him continue if they also felt pleasant?

"You're blushing."

"Oh..." They reached up with their free hand to touch their face, and sure enough they were abnormally warm. "You are, too....."

Mettaton's exposed eye widened. He was normally fully aware of the expressions he made, so the fact that his blushing went without his knowledge caused his grip on their hand to tighten a tad. "Is it all right if I keep going?"

"Metta... you're acting really weird..... What's gotten into you?"

His mouth opened as if to speak, but nothing came out at first. "I honestly don't know, but if you're uncomfortable with this at **all** , I told you I'd stop."

Almost inordinately, Napstablook shook their head. Being so close felt nice...  _really_ nice. If they'd known having someone touch you could be so comforting, they would have asked for something similar to what they were doing a while ago.

They would have hoped he'd make the first move, at least.

While Napstablook was lost in thought, Mettaton managed to bring their hand up to his mouth. They half-expected their glove to be pierced by sharp fangs, and winced in preparation, but no such pain arrived. Instead, he gave the top of their hand a gentle kiss. This earned him the softest gasp from his cousin, and after hearing something so cute, he just _had_ to look at them.

"Honey, are you all right? You're really red."

They nodded slowly, still recovering from the odd sensation that lingered on the back of their hand. "You are too...."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi sorry about the useless throw-away OC
> 
> i wanted to replace rabbit boy with Muffet but she doesn't seem like that much of a dick, ya know? all the UT characters are super likeable, and i can't even see Burger Pants pulling shit like that
> 
> so jerk rabbit it is
> 
> . . . . . . . . . . . .
> 
> man
> 
> this gets worse and more ooc each chapter but honestly? i'm having fun so who even cares
> 
> as long as ONE other person likes what i'm doing, i'm going to keep writing this


	6. Cousins

One way or another, Mettaton somehow managed to get positioned over his cousin while they lie face-up on their couch without any recollection of doing so. He couldn't remember putting his hands on either side of their head, nor could he recall how their pristine white hair became so ruffled.

No matter the case, the fact remained that he'd pinned them down with no discernable reason for doing so.

"Can you hear me..?" They asked quietly, as a part of their grey jumper covered their mouth.

"Of course I can," he replied after realizing what  _exactly_  he'd been doing. "I think I.... blacked out for a moment is all." And attempting to say that as nonchalantly as possible proved to be more difficult than he thought. "Are you all right, Blooky?"

Napstablook nodded slowly. Their hands twitched at the sides of their head as if to reach out, but they ultimately stayed in place.

Not wanting to scare them any further, Mettaton started to sit up in order to give them the space that they deserved. As he moved, he noticed an irregular amount of heat emanating from his cousin's metal casing, and figured he might as well fix it while he was there.

"Honey, I think you're overheating," he stated while reaching for the bottom of their cozy sweater. "You really need to take this thing off if-"

Quickly, they reached down to hold Mettaton's hands in place. A somewhat panicked expression laced their features and slowly faded as they spoke. "That's.... probably not a good idea."

"Oh? Why?"

"It's gross...."

_Gross..?_

Mettaton's mind went in every direction before settling on the idea that they may have gotten hurt and decided to hide their 'gross' wound with their sweater, thus causing them to overheat and refuse to remove the article of clothing.

"I think that's _why_ it needs to come off! Look, I'm not going to make fun of you or anything for whatever's under here. I just want what's best for you."

They hesitantly moved their arms back to their original position, looking not all that happy about it.

"Aww, don't give me that look. You'll feel much better after... ah...."

 _Gross_  probably wouldn't be the word Mettaton would use to describe what he found beneath their clothes.

Their normally smooth, heart-shaped Core with the purpose to keep their body powered and functional behind a flexible sheet of reinforced glass appeared to be... dripping. Dripping the same light-blue color it was composed of onto the back of its chamber. The fluid looked somewhat viscous, seeing as it moved in a similar fashion to slightly warmed honey.

"Sorry," Napstablook mumbled from behind their hands. "I told you it was gross....."

Mettaton remained particularly quiet as they explained themself. He mostly attempted to figure out the right way to word what they were going through without making it awkward, but nothing came to him as he stared at their little 'problem'.

"It'll go away if I leave it alone.... so you can stop staring now......"

"Hmm?" Mettaton lifted his head up. "Blooky, you're fine. Things like this can happen when you overheat."

It didn't feel good for him to lie through his teeth like that, but what else was he supposed to do? The idea of actually explaining everything to them made him feel somewhat unclean.

"You're going to tell me I can't put my sweater back on.... aren't you....."

Mettaton pouted some. "I'm afraid so, but... Here, let's sit you up. You'll cool off more quickly if less of you is touching the couch."

With a little bit of help, Napstablook sat up straight once more, and their hoodie rested on the back of the couch until their temperature stabilized- that's the excuse Mettaton gave for it being there, anyway.

"I wanted to see Alphys about this," they began, "but she's been really busy working on an antivirus.... and I don't want to get in the way....."

Mettaton smiled softly at them, and spoke in a gentle and reassuring tone. "Honey, it really isn't anything to worry about. Like you said, it'll go away with time."

"Oh.... but..... it happened before...... a few other times, actually....... and it isn't the easiest thing to.... just.... ignore....."

"A-Ah... well..."

How could he even respond to them? Sure, he may not be the master of improv, but he needed to say _something_ to ease their mind... at least by a little bit.

"Oh.... I'm sorry...... I made things awkward... didn't I?"

Mettaton raised his hands up defensively. "No no! I'm just thinking of the, uh... the best way to take care of this."

"Oh..... all right....." Napstablook ran a hand through their hair as they spoke. "I... tried to fix it myself once..... but.... it sort of....." They gestured vaguely towards their Core and up their body, being unable to properly convey their feelings verbally. The odd sensations they felt muddled their mind more than they'd like to admit- that amount being non-existent to begin with. "Sorry.... I feel really funny right now...."

"You're fine, dear. I know exactly what you're going through."

"....Really?"

_Wait._

"S... Sure! It's kind of natural, in a way."

"Do you.... know how to fix it, then?"

_Stop talking._

"Uhh... Yes and no..? It's probably different for you."

"Oh.... well.... if it isn't too much trouble... do you think you can show me?"

"I don't see why not."

_Fuck._

Having let his empathy and love towards his preciously oblivious family member cloud his judgement, Mettaton found himself in a situation that would likely take a miracle and a half to get out of.

"Can you open this-" he gave a quick tap to the glass sheet covering their Core "-up for me, love?"

With a slow nod, Napstablook pressed a small button near the side of their abdomen, and just like magic, the protective glass disintegrated into thin air. Had they pressed the button again, it would come back as if nothing ever happened.

"You're not going to touch it... are you?"

He shook his head. "No, but airing it out tends to help. Does it feel okay?"

"I'm very...... I mean... **It** is... very...... sensitive right now......" They squirmed somewhat, unknowingly inching closer to Mettaton. "Sorry.... This is really weird.... isn't it?"

"It's only a little weird, and that's fine. Now, do **you** feel okay like this?"

"N.... no.... not really.... Alphys always told me to keep my Core safe and covered...... What if something happens... and I break?"

"Nothing bad is going to happen," Mettaton assured them as he reached out to caress their cheek. "I'm here, and I'll keep you nice and safe."

Without really meaning to, Napstablook leaned into his hand. The comforting warmth from him felt nice despite them already being a few degrees over their average temperature. "Nnn... sorry..... this feels really good.."

"Does it now?" He gave a playful chuckle as he wrapped an arms around their side. "If you want me to touch you, all you need to do is ask. You can ask me for anything, really."

"M-hm.... I know..." They leaned against him and began to close their eyes. Being held always felt better than it had any right to, and after a while, they could even feel themself cool down some.

An odd habit Napstablook developed after getting their body was the action of holding their 'stomach' for comfort or to hide themself. Although, this normally meant that their glass cover rested right where it meant to be. Having such a thing removed, they mistakenly nearly pushed their fingers into their Core _right_ when they were drifting off into a light sleep.

A sharp cry of what sounded like someone in pain snapped Mettaton out of his peaceful rest. He immediately turned to Napstablook, who looked like they'd seen better days.

"Sorry.... I'm sorry... for scaring you...."

The tips of their gloves and the side of their light blue Core were connected by a string of the same fluid that leaked from it. It dripped onto their thigh from their hand, and it thankfully didn't leak onto the couch.

"Blooky, what happened?! Are you all right? Is... is there anything I can-"

Shaking their head, Napstablook did their best to clean themself up with their gloves as they spoke. "I don't want... to ruin your gloves, too..... I'm okay, I.... I... um....." Having lost their train of thought, they simply looked up at him with the barest hint of puppydog eyes gracing their expression. "Paper towels would help.... probably...."

Mettaton pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a sigh of frustration. The two of them were really beating around the bush with trying to figure out the best way to put a stop to Napstablook's problem, and he had about enough of it. Obviously, he didn't want to come off as rude or annoyed or spiteful, but stress can affect even the most tolerating of stars. "Darling. I'm going to help you. And you're not going to apologize for anything. Okay?"

They nodded quickly and silently, and with that, Mettaton scooped them up bridal style, brought them to their kitchen counter, and sat them down next to the sink while he searched for the towels they mentioned earlier. Now, as Napstablook isn't exactly the _tallest_ robot in the world, their feet dangled childishly over the edge of the counter while they waited for Mettaton to do whatever he needed to do.

"You're not mad at me.... right?" Their hands folded neatly in their lap after they discarded their blue-stained gloves. They were pretty sure it'd take a **lot** for him to be angry at them, but anxiety can make you worry about impossible situations.

"Absolutely not," he said while searching through various cabinets before producing an unused roll of paper towels from one of them. "I just sometimes wish you had a bit more confidence in yourself. That's not saying that there's anything wrong with the way you are, but I hope you know that you've got nothing to be sorry for."

Their mouth about formed the 'S' in 'Sorry,' although they managed to stop themself in time and calmly agreed with him. In the meantime, Mettaton took it upon himself to clean them up to the best of his abilities. Miraculously, the white, latex-like material covering their thighs turned out to be somewhat hydrophobic, making cleanup a little easier. At the very least, there would be no stains on them by the end of the day.

"Blooky, did you _specifically_ ask Alphys to make your legs so soft?" he asked in a mostly playful tone, hoping to break the painful silence of the moment.

"They're, uh.... about as soft as yours........ I mostly.... asked her to model me after you......."

"Right, but I didn't expect you to be borderline _voluptuous_. Is this why you always wear baggy clothes?"

Napstablook rubbed the back of their head. "Kinda..? I mean.... I really like the way I look.... and I like being able to touch things..... but I get.... odd looks...... sometimes..... And big clothes just feel good...."

Mettaton nodded along with everything they said and even gave an occasional hum of approval to assure them he was listening. Being more of a fan of tight-fitting outfits and crop tops, he couldn't really relate with enjoying the feeling of clothes being too large. However, he _more_ than understood the feeling of wanting to be hidden from people who look at him with more than their eyes.

"How the hell did you get it on your inner thigh?"

They shrugged in response, and lifted their leg up for him to gain easier access. Although, they wound up propping it up on his shoulder so he wouldn't have to lean down so much; even with them sitting on the counter, he still stood taller than them by an inch or two.

"I can see she made you just as flexible, too." He took a step closer, causing his hips to be essentially pressed against the counter. "I apologize for getting so close, but I'd rather not leave you a mess."

"Nnn.... it's okay, I...." Their sentence stopped abruptly after realizing just how little space remained between the two. This, plus how exposed they felt due to their lack of baggy tops and opened Core Chamber caused their internal fans to kick on. "I know you told me not to apologize... Mettaton..... but I'm not stupid...... the way I feel right now is..... **disgusting**.... and I can't tell if you're doing this on purpose or not..."

Mettaton furrowed his brow. He _knew_ what was coming, and he really wished he didn't. "Doing what on purpose?"

"This-" they gestured to him, to where his hands were, and to how he would have been pressed against their more sensitive areas had they not been sat on such an awkward place "-all of **this**. I don't mean to snap... really.... but you think I'm so innocent and pure.... and that I don't know why I'm _dripping_ because of you....." They could feel tears prick at the edges of their eyes as they spoke, and the more they explained the more shocked and ashamed Mettaton felt himself become. "You're probably not trying to make me feel this way.... and even if that isn't the case.... the way I feel about **you** isn't right..... and you know it."

Napstablook's words devolved into soft crying and endless apologies. They weren't sure what to think anymore. All of Mettaton's actions indicated that he wanted something from them- that he wanted to do things with them like lovers or even lovesick crushes would. Why couldn't they tell him to stop? Why couldn't they reject it? Why did being so close feel absolutely wonderful yet completely immoral at the same time? Everything felt wrong. They wanted to hold him and never see him again. They wanted him to tell them everything would be okay and for him to yell at them for being so repulsive. All the while, they made feeble attempts at wiping away their tears and doing their best to explain the mishmash of irreconcilable thoughts in their head.

Meanwhile, Mettaton felt conflicted on what to do next. He knew deep down that he'd been leading them on, and at the same time he'd never admit it to himself or anyone else. Nothing they said made much sense at all, they couldn't stop crying, and he didn't know what to say to calm them down.

Maybe he didn't need to say anything. Words only seemed to make everything worse up until then.

He moved their leg back down on level ground, and cautiously leaned in. He wanted to move their hands out of their face without making them feel any more exposed. Although, seeing as they were dead set on hiding their eyes, he opted for planting the most delicate of kisses along their hands and forehead while gently holding their wrists. He didn't want to smother them, so he kept his chest and abdomen a fair distance away.

Slowly but surely, Napstablook managed to compose themself. Their soft sobbing became nothing more than occasional whimpering and sniffling, and the incompatible, contradictory thoughts flooding their mind quickly thinned out to a manageable degree. If he tried to talk them out of their state, his voice would have fallen on unhearing ears. They say that actions speak louder than words, so perhaps Mettaton did what was best for them by not saying anything at all.

"I'm sorry about all that..... You..... aren't mad at me....... are you?"

"No, darling." His voice was soothing and calm, yet firm enough to assure them he told the truth.

"Oh...... mmm.... could you........ could... could you maybe......... umm...."

"Take your time, love. I'm not going anywhere."

They took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Can you... kiss me again? Maybe? If it.... isn't too much trouble...."

He **did** say they could ask for anything, right?

"I'll kiss you wherever you want. As _many_ times as you want. How does that sound?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello  
> thank you for reading my thing


	7. Languor

"Are you sure it isn't.... selfish for.... me to ask like this? I.... basically yelled at you...... you know..."

"I'm not going to blame you for speaking your mind or getting some stress off your chest," Mettaton explained as he moved Napstablook's hands out of their face. "This is mostly my fault, anyway. Calling me out on it doesn't make you a bad person."

"Oh..... but..... I don't _feel_ stressed out.... or anything......."

"Well, not _anymore_ you don't. Here, put your arms around my neck and hold on."

"Okay.... uhh..... What are you-"

Mettaton wrapped his arms snugly around them before pulling their body off the kitchen counter and holding them like an oversized koala. Their legs instinctively wrapped around him as he carried them to their couch- which was infinitely more comfortable than the counter.

Without letting them go, Mettaton sat down with his cousin on his lap. They'd managed to bury their face in his neck during the short walk, and it took them a little bit to realize they'd been stationary.

They pulled away from him while still having their wrists and hands relax around his neck. "Are you sure you're...... not mad at me?"

"I don't know how many times I need to tell you this, but no. I'm not mad, upset, or angry. I'm just here to make up for lost time. Things got a little out of hand, and now all I want to do is make you as happy and comfortable as possible."

"Oh.... okay...... But why did you carry me here?"

"Didn't you want more kisses?"

And there go their internal fans again, filling the quiet room with the sound of an overworked PC. "I _did_ say that... didn't I....."

"I won't judge you for changing your mind, darling."

They shook their head. "No, I..... It's just.... I'm not used to it..... so.... is it all right... if I close my eyes while you......"

"I said I wanted you to be as comfy as possible, didn't I?"

"You _did_... didn't you....."

Unraveling his right arm from around them, Mettaton reached out to sweep a few hairs out of their lovely blue eyes. "You take your time, okay? Close your eyes... and tell me when you're ready."

As soon as their eyes were shut, Mettaton reached into one of his seemingly endless pockets and produced a small tube of expensive-looking baby pink lipstick. As cute as it would be to see them covered in kiss marks, it wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Rather, he planned on using the makeup to see where he smooched them and where he hadn't.

Napstablook moved their hands to recover the glass over their Core so they could safely hold into their abdomen for a bit of comfort. They weren't really sure how else to prepare for everything, so their catch-all would have to do. "Are you... going to kiss my mouth?"

"Only if you want me to," he said while pocketing the lipstick. "I'm _assuming_ you haven't had your first kiss."

"I don't think so..... It'd probably be really awkward if you did that, though..... I don't know..... how kissing works....."

"That's fine, love. All you need to do is relax for me. Can you do that?"

"M-hm..... I think I'm okay now..... so... you can..."

Leading them by their chin, Mettaton pulled their face closer to his so everything could be done more easily. He also wanted to get a good look at what he was working with in order to determine the least frightening location for him to kiss them.

Their cheek seemed like a classic and predictable place to start.

The moment his lips touched their face, he could feel a nearly impalpable reaction from their body. Their legs, which were still wrapped around him, tightened their grip in the slightest amount with his touch. Aside from that, they almost didn't react at all.

Unless the ever growing blush on their face counted.

"Can I keep going?"

They nodded, eyes still closed although not squeezed tightly shut.

"Good."

Where to next? Their other cheek? No, they seemed comfortable enough for him to venture out of the predictable and overused stuff you'd see in movies. Maybe their forehead?

"Ah... a little... lower..... please...."

Their jawline, then?

" _Nnn~!_ That- _ah_ -that's.... good...."

Mettaton could feel their legs tighten significantly around him, and he noticed their eyes clench shut as to not peek at what he'd been doing. They seemed to be enjoying themself enough, but he still wanted to be sure they were all right. For all he knew, they could have been too anxious to pipe up about any discomfort.

"Can you promise to tell me if something feels wrong? I won't be upset if you want to stop."

"Trust me... I'd let you know if I wanted you to stop...." They opened one of their eyes. "Oh... but...... you're not really getting anything out of this....."

"I'm getting _plenty_ out of this," he said while running a hand through their semi-curled hair. "I get to see your cute faces and hear the adorable noises you make. Above all else, I get to spend time with you. That doesn't sound like _nothing_ , does it?"

"No.... not really..."

"Wonderful~! And while I have your attention, why don't you tell me where you'd like to be kissed next?"

"Oh.... I......." They opened both of their eyes, only to look everywhere except Mettaton's face. "I know I said..... it'd be awkward if you...... uhh..... you know......."

"Are you asking me to _really_ kiss you?"

Napstablook's face flushed as their hair poofed up in response to his words. Who knew that their normally untamable hair could get even fluffier? It made them look like one of those flustered anime characters from those well-animated movies Alphys would watch.

"I wouldn't mind if you did..... I think I'm a little too old..... to hold onto something like that..... anyway....."

"I get where you're coming from, hon. There's nothing wrong with being kissless, though."

They shifted around a bit in his lap. "I know.... and I'm still not really sure if I'd be any good at it....."

"Mmm... How's this sound: We can try kissing, and if you don't like it, we can pretend it never happened."

"That sounds... good......." They looked him in the eye briefly, only to stare down at his chest after feeling overwhelmed. "Is it okay if you lead? I'm not.... I mean..... I don't....."

Mettaton cooed and shushed them as softly as he could manage. The more they thought about it, the more anxious they'd make themself over nothing. "Can you close your eyes for me, sweetheart? It'll feel more pleasant if you don't think."

Without hesitation, their eyes were shut once more and their anxiety-induced ramblings came to a halt. The more they tried to empty their mind, the more their thoughts raced with all the possibilities of things going wrong. Of course, Mettaton could see the worry on their face and continued to make slow, gentle movements in an attempt to soothe them before he carried on. With his hand caressing their cheek, he cautiously pulled them into a kiss.

Their lips felt so delicate against his. Every little movement he made, they made a similar and obviously less experienced reaction. His actions were insistent, but not forceful. He lead them just enough so they could go further if they wanted, while still giving them the chance to back away or adjust accordingly.

Speaking of backing away, Mettaton did just that when he felt something unfamiliar touch his hand and seep into his glove. After opening his eyes, he nearly choked on his own tongue at the tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Please don't worry...." They half-mumbled while trying to dry their face. "I'm not sad.... nothing made me upset..... I don't know why I'm crying...."

Mettaton's perplexed expression softened after they'd explained. "Do you want to stop?"

Napstablook fervently shook their head. "I really don't..... Mettaton.... I want a lot of things right now......" They drummed their fingers against their glass abdomen as they thought of what to say. "Can you.... kiss me again? Please?"

With a smile, Mettaton happily took up their request. How could he **possibly** say no to that face?

Their second time around, Napstablook got more involved with their movements. They moved their arms back around Mettaton's neck to pull him in as close as possible, and coupled with the sound of their fans whirring loudly between the two, they occasionally let out the cutest little satisfied hums.

Despite neither of them needing air, the two found themselves pulling away from each other breathlessly. Mettaton could hardly believe his sweet cousin had a nearly dominant side to them, and Napstablook's head filled with such a dangerously thick mind-fog that they could hardly concentrate on what'd been going on.

"More?" Mettaton quietly asked, selfishly hoping they'd say yes.

" _Bitte._ "

"Pa... Pardon?"

What even _was_ that? It sounded European, but with such a short word, Mettaton couldn't be sure.

Napstablook blinked. "Oh... I.... I, uh...... That.... normally doesn't happen...... I'm really tired..... and my head is all fuzzy...." They reached up to rub their eyes briefly. "And..... I've been talking to a lot of German fans lately....... I really didn't mean for that to slip out."

"...Did you learn German just to talk to fans?"

"No, I.... I've **known** German....."

_Since when?!_

"Aren't you going to tell me what you said?"

Instead of answering him, Napstablook untangled their legs from behind the diva and removed themself from the couch altogether. "It's.... getting really late..... You should go home..... Alphys must be worried...."

"I get it," he said while standing up and brushing off his lap. "You got what you wanted, and now you want me to leave."

"N-No, it's not... like that...."

"Relax, darling. I'm only kidding." He walked up to Napstablook and gave them a quick smooch on the forehead. "You're right, though. Alphys is gonna kill me if I don't leave soon enough. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

They wanted to ask why they'd be seeing him again so soon, but didn't want to keep him any longer. "Uh-huh.... but.... I need to tell you something.... before you go..... real quick..."

"Oh? What is it?"

While they held onto their arm, they spoke. "I don't want to...... get in the way of your lovelife..... okay? I really appreciate everything you've done for me..... and I.... really don't want to have you.... all to myself...... You're a celebrity..... you can have anyone in the world.... so.... don't reject people you like.... because of me...... please....."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay another chapter
> 
> i hope all 3 of you enjoy it
> 
> look forward to the next one where i painfully try to describe clothing and how insomnia works


	8. Soft Morphine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for light gore in this chapter, i guess
> 
> it's nothing too bad but i'm gonna warn y'all anyway since i'm a cool dude

"If you're that worried about me being with somebody else, then I won't go into a relationship without coming to you first."

He couldn't blame them for saying something so... odd. With the way they'd booth been acting, it was no wonder their views on their relationship were skewed. Were they dating? Friends with kissing benefits? In no way what they were doing could still be deemed platonic, and Mettaton couldn't help but feel guilty for everything.

"Oh no.... why would you..... say that..? You don't need permission from me... to do anything..... Mettaton..."

"You come first, Blooky. I love you to death and I don't want some random guy to come between us."

"But what if there's someone you really-"

"You are first and foremost," he assured them.

Speaking of first and foremost things, Mettaton could feel his hunger creep up on him again. He didn't feel bad enough to eat, although he _did_ feel hungry enough to know he shouldn't leave their side for a while.

"Is it okay if I spend the night, love?"

Napstablook's pupils flickered into little question marks. "You can.... if you want.... Why, though..?"

And, how could he possibly explain his reason without worrying them?

"I really do want to make up for lost time. Besides, it's been a while since we slept in the same room."

By using a less important reason, of course! It's not lying if he only states _one_ reason.

"Oh.... okay...... I'll grab us some chargers.... and wash my face....."

By the time their sentence finished, they'd already vanished into the mysterious abyss of their room. Mettaton could recall them saying they converted it into more of a living space for their snails, so where did they sleep? The couch? There might have been enough room for both of them if one slept on the back, but that didn't sound too ideal.

Napstablook re-entered the room with two thick charger cables wound around one of their arms. Before Mettaton could ask any questions, they promptly removed the cushions from the couch and pulled out a mattress.

One question down.

Their bed had soft blue pastel sheets dotted with cartoon-y yellow stars. A beige fleece blanket and matching pillows already came without preparation, and from the looks of it, the setup would fit roughly two and a half robots.

"Uhh.... Do you... need anything...? I can make you a snack.... or some hot chocolate..."

Mettaton shook his head. "I'm just really looking forward to cuddles. In fact, I don't think we've done much cuddling at all since you got your body."

They should probably fix that problem.

As routine goes, the two slipped off their shoes and plugged the cables into their chests. Mettaton completed an additional step of removing his pointed shoulder pads. Napstablook rarely ever wore theirs, they'd already made it into bed by the time Mettaton finished getting ready.

"You don't have to go to sleep right now," Napstablook noted. "I'm really tired.... so I can sleep... while you... watch TV or something..... if you want....."

Mettaton snuggled up next to them in bed and gave them a peck on the cheek. "I think we both need a good night's sleep after today."

"Oh.... yeah..... okay..."

"Goodnight, Blooky."

"Nighty...."

* * *

Hours.

Hours.

Hours and hours and hours all passing by slower than seconds on a microwave.

They couldn't sleep.

The bed was comfy, their cousin held their hand in his sleep, and there was minimal light and noise.

And yet, all they could do was stare at the ceiling as those painful minutes dragged on.

It'd been like that for weeks. Even before getting to the surface, even as a formless spirit, they could hardly ever remember resting well. They'd normally sleep for less than two hours and wake up at a reasonable time, only to lie in bed until noon or later. Whenever the sun rose, their bed always felt a thousand times for comfortable. Some days, they wouldn't even get up until they had to feed the snails, and after doing so, they'd crawl right back under their blanket.

Never sleeping.

Always staring; either at their phone or whatever surface they happened to be facing.

Before they knew it, Napstablook could see early hints of sunlight filter in through their front door. They anticipated such a thing, but it still didn't make them feel any less grouchy about it.

Figuring they wouldn't be getting much more rest, they opted to get dressed and feed their snails.

* * *

Mettaton woke up a few hours after the sun rose. Oddly enough, he didn't feel hungry, nor did he have any intrusive thoughts regarding urges to eat. For the first time in a while, he felt clean and refreshed both inside and out.

"Morning...."

Looking over to the kitchen where his cousin had been standing, Mettaton nearly gasped when he noticed they weren't wearing their usual attire consisting of a bland hoodie and not much else.

Their jacket seemed to be completely missing, and replacing it was a long scarf, a cute beanie, and skirt almost going down to their knees. Each of the articles had a galaxy pattern on it, although they weren't identical to one another. Messy white hair poked out from under their hat and accentuated their feminine features well, their scarf would cover their mouth if they looked down, and their skirt flowed freely and moved with them as they shifted their weight from one leg or another. All in all, they looked even more adorable in colors other than grey or white.

"Honey, you're so cute!!!"

As Napstablook muttered out their thanks, Mettaton all but leaped out of bed to hug them.

"I thought..... you know.... we could.... walk back to Alphys' place...... and that I should look decent for it......"

"That's an absolutely **wonderful** idea~! If you're not too busy, we could head out right now." His hair looked nice enough, even after sleeping so good. And clothes are mostly optional for robots, so he was all set to go.

"Oh.... okay..... sure...... but.... Don't you want to eat anything first, or..?"

Mettaton shook his head. "Nope! C'mon, we're wasting daylight. Let's get going~!"

After snagging their keys, Napstablook could feel themself be dragged outside by their wrist by someone much more enthusiastic than them.

"I should have.... lent you a jacket.... or something...."

A freezing gust of wind blew right through Mettaton as he stepped outside. It would have chilled him to the bone if he had such things, but seeing that he didn't, the chilly outdoors didn't bother him much.

What _did_ bother him was the wide-eyed look his cousin had.

"W... What is it?"

"What is what?"

They pointed to a few white flecks falling from the sky. " _Those_. Are they... feathers?"

Mettaton furrowed his brow at they. Surely, they'd seen snowfall before... right? Even though they could vanish and materialize between the Ruins and Waterfall, they **must** have seen snow at some point.

"Have you seriously never seen snow before? Haven't you been to Snowdin?"

"Uhh..... I don't.... think so..... Not falling from the sky, anyway..... I always thought.... in Snowdin..... that it sort of..... was just there..... like grass......"

"You know I love you, right?"

Mettaton didn't know why he felt compelled to say that. He'd often recite those same words when Alphys used the wrong ends of her chopsticks, or when Papyrus mistook sugar for salt. Little details and innocent mistakes made him feel closer to people, somehow.

"Oh..... yeah..... I do......"

They watched the gentle, powdery snow stick to their hair and other surfaces for a little bit before carrying it on. Napstablook found it especially interesting how it would cling to their clothing and make their scarf look like it had more stars, and Mettaton got his fair share of entertainment out of watching them have a good time.

Almost as soon as they hit the sidewalk, Napstablook reached out to grab Mettaton's hand. They felt they'd be safer if they held onto him, and he had no problem holding it and running his thumb across its surface.

"Sorry.... for being so clingy...."

"Blooky, it's fine. Couples are supposed to hold hands."

"Oh...... Are we...... a couple now?"

"Only if you want us to be."

He seemed to be asking that a lot lately. Things were always about making them happy and comfortable, but was _he_ content?

".....What about you? What do _you_... want us to be?"

"You know. That's a good question."

Mettaton couldn't answer them even if he wanted to. They were a family, but what they did could be seen as taboo by humans. It would have been almost normal if they lived in a monster-only society, and even then he wouldn't know for sure. He loved holding their hand and giving them kisses. He loved making them happy and seeing them slowly come out of their shell. He wanted to see them continue to improve themself and become someone they'd be glad to accept.

Is that not love?

Soon enough, Mettaton realized it would take longer than expected to get to his destination. And as nice as it was to take in the rural scenery of brick buildings, sparsely-crowded streets, and the occasional hum of a car driving by, the near silence got on his nerves.

"How are the snails doing?"

What an interesting topic.

"Oh.... they're good..... they have enough to eat for a while....."

Maybe snails weren't the best thing to talk about for next next half hour or so.

"Are you ever going to tell me what you said yesterday? What was it, German?"

Napstablook's face flushed, and they pulled their scarf up over their nose to hide it as best they could. "It, uh..... means _please_..... It can also mean _thank you_..... but...... I was saying please....."

"So, you wanted more kisses after all?"

"Of course I did..... Not anymore, though.... not now.... anyway...."

What a shame. He was hoping on giving them a little smooch a public, although we can't all get what we want.

Not right away.

"Oh.... Are you.... okay? Mettaton?"

Mettaton found himself leaning on them in an attempt to keep from falling to the ground. He felt disgustingly dizzy. From his one good eye, he could barely see. All sounds were muffled as if earplugs were glued into his head. He felt perfectly fine ten seconds ago, and yet he could have sworn he was on the verge of death while clinging to his cousin.

For a being composed of metal and magic, he felt downright unnatural.

"St.... Starving.... Blooky, I can't..... we're too far away from... from home...."

Acting on the first thing coming to mind, Napstablook grabbed onto him and walked into a nearby alley. It wasn't the most ideal place for them to be, although the likeliness someone would see them became slim to none.

Napstablook leaned their back onto a wall and relocated their scarf to be tied around their right arm. If they learned anything from last time, Mettaton needed to use their neck to get a worthwhile charge.

"Are you sure you're.... you're okay with me doing.... doing this?" He had them pinned against the wall with almost no space left between them, and with the way he felt, telling him to stop wouldn't do much of anything. Even if he _could_ hear them speak, he wouldn't notice. His head felt as if it were filled to the brim with soggy cotton, and his eyes only saw what he needed to keep his body running.

As soon as they nodded, he forced his head into the crook of their neck and bit down. The painful sensation of him holding their side and shoulder with incredible force almost helped take their mind off of something warm running down their chest, so they decided to focus on other sources of discomfort to distract them from the main problem.

It didn't hurt as much after a few seconds. Their breathing became horribly ragged, but everything else felt borderline... pleasant. The once stinging agony they felt soon numbed to the slightest hint of pressure. Even the chill in the air faded away until all they could hear were their own slowed, shaking breaths.

For some reason, they wanted to laugh.

They wanted to laugh as the world faded around them.

They wanted to laugh while wondering it would be the last time they might ever see Mettaton.

They wanted to laugh until they felt nothing but the warmth coating the side of their body cool and stop flowing.

After what felt like an eternity, Mettaton pulled away. The pixels in his eyes twitched and jumped around in a corrupt manner until returning to their original positions to see his cousin.

Leaning against the grungy brick wall as if their life depended on it, Napstablook also pressed a hand to their fresh wound with just as much pressure and urgency. They barely had their energy to stand, and the force used wasn't much to write home about.

Almost the entire left-half of their body look as though it had been doused in fake blood. From neck to hip, and from shoulder to where their below would be if they possessed a proper one, looked to be lazily splattered in crimson red. Under normal circumstances, such a loss of coolant would only result in an emergency shutdown and _maybe_ dizziness and drowsiness. They displayed symptoms of threatening to turn off, but along with them came with uncontrollable shaking, crying, and their eyes flickering and displaying bits of binary code. They couldn't speak through their heaving breathing or static buzzing in their head. Their entire body ached and **begged** for them to lie down until everything stopped.

And so they did.

No warning, no hesitation. They dropped to their knees and would have fallen on their face if Mettaton hadn't caught them. They wanted to apologize for getting coolant all over him, but the only thing leaving their mouth sounded like static and slurred mumbles.

Mettaton really fucked up.

With his newfound strength and overwhelming amount of energy, Mettaton scooped his lifeless cousin up and darted to Alphys' place. At such speeds, he could have easily caught up to the rabbit monster that ripped him off.

"Blooky, can you hear me?"

Just a sound. A sign they were still there. He silently begged for them to grumble or nod their head, but they went limp the moment he picked them up.

"C'mon, I know you're there. Give me a sign," he pleaded with increasing desperation in his voice. Each word threatened to have him burst into tears, and he would have done just that if he hadn't been so determined to keep running. "Please, do something. **Anything**."

No response. Not even the feeling of their breathing against his chestplate. Not even the soft glow of their Core could be seen. Their hair moved in the wind, although seeing only that from them didn't reassure him.

"You're going to make me cry, and I know you don't want to see that." He gave them a gentle shake in his arms, only to cause a tear he'd been holding back to fall on their cheek. "Wake up, please..."

**But nobody came.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you everyone for your words of support. without nice comments, i'd never want to continue writing this thing
> 
> that's how it works for any art medium, really. if you like what someone does, don't be afraid to tell them. it can be art, writing, music, etc. they'll love you forever for it  
>  
> 
> tune in next time when i continue to write incoherent trash from nothing  
> like a god or something


	9. Ferric

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess?? Trigger warning for self harm??? It's nothing super detailed and it's really really brief, but hey. A warning is always nice.

Alphys directed for Mettaton to wait outside while she repaired his cousin. Being watched always make her anxious, and since Mettaton wants them to be fixed as soon as possible, he complied to her wishes by pacing frantically outside of her home. His shambling, quick movements helped get his mind off what he did, but an overwhelming sense of guilt rooted itself like a stubborn weed into his very being. He wanted to check his phone and distract himself further with social media, only to become frustrated even further as he remembered what caused everything to happen in the first place. An ungloved hand reached up to touch the unfinished side of his face and picked at the various exposed wires. He felt the crushing desire to do something to soothe his nerves, and these feelings only lead to more guilt on behalf of being selfish.

Nails dug into the black wires hidden by hair almost as dark. They weren't not connected to anything important, and it felt nice for _him_ to be the hurt one for once. He saw it as a sort of punishment and stress relief combined into something Alphys would hate if she found out about it. He was wrong to think she'd be more than a little miffed about him tearing up ultimately useless bits of his body, however. She of all people can understand what it's like to feel so rotten you desire retribution.

Just as the stinging sensation in his face began to flare up, Alphys cracked open the front door to let him know they weren't going to die on the spot. He asked to come in, and she opened the door in its entirety in response.

In the middle of the messy, paper-stuffed work space filled with dumbbells, empty soda bottles and ramen cups, Napstablook's body rested peacefully on a wooden table with a charger keeping them stable. Aside from them looking dead asleep and missing their chestplate, they appeared to be perfectly fine. Although, with such an important bit of their chest missing, one could peer into their casing and see the exposed fan and variety of colorful wires.

"I'm sorry for the mess," Alphys said. "You a-and Undyne haven't been over in a while, and you're basically my motivation for anything not w-work related." She picked up a few stray papers that hadn't been crumpled up and held them in her yellow, clawed hands. "You've been busy, and Undyne's been beating the snot outta p-people who purposely infect phones and stuff for kicks."

"It's fine, darling. I'll help you tidy up when Blooky is-"

"-They should wake up soon!" She exclaimed, noticing the obvious drop in Mettaton's mood. "W-Whatever you did to them make a lot of their internal stuff s-shut down and become corrupted. Everything is f-fixed now, but... I have no idea how you managed it."

He wasn't sure, either. All he could remember was the initial bite, the sickly sweet taste,  and his mortified reflection in their eyes.

"It c-could be your virus. They're not able to contract it, but it's kinda like t-that one time my old computer had a d-dying antivirus. It did what it could do, and w-what it could do wasn't enough."

That sounded plausible enough, although Mettaton didn't know enough about computers to agree with her. He might be made up of tech, but that doesn't automatically make him an expert when it comes to it. That would be like saying all humans are biologists since they're made up of living components.

"Hey, Metta? I gotta do s-something in the basement... something... **not** amalgamate related."

Mettaton furrowed his brow. "Didn't they go home with their families?"

"I mean... yeah... I'm still looking for a way to turn them back to normal. I'll be back in a bit, so j-just sit there with Napsta and make sure they don't get hurt."

And with that, she vanished into the basement she often disappeared into when research needed to be done.

Since he had literally nothing better to do, Mettaton went to sit on the table with Napstablook. His legs dangled off the side of it, and surprisingly, it held both of their weight with ease.

He really wanted them to hurryand wake up so he could apologize. Forcing them awake would likely be a bad idea, so maybe gently touching their face would... speed up the process.

Maybe.

Napstablook felt pleasantly warm to the touch; not burning hot, and not too cool for him to worry. Their scarf and hat were set to their side as to not get in the way of Alphys' repairs, and even without them they managed to look absolutely precious.

To make matters better, they even nuzzled against his hand without waking up.

It was at that point where Mettaton thought he was going to keel over from sheer cuteness. He would have given anything to hug them, but with them lying on the table, he couldn't do so without making things awkward.

"Blooky, can you wake up for me?" He asked softly, running the back of his index finger across their cheek. "I need to make sure you're all right."

Their eyes lazily opened, and they mumbled out something incomprehensible.

"I can't hear you, love."

"I'm really comfy..."

He smiled and took his hand away to give them a little space. "That's nice to hear, darling. Aside from that, how are you feeling?"

"...Good."

They must have been inordinately tired to feel like comfortable on a hard, flat surface. They sounded the part as well, and Mettaton didn't want them to think too hard in their state. Half-comatose monsters don't typically give solid answers or process information as well as you'd want them to.

"Ah... well.... Is there anything I can do for you until Alphys gets back?"

Their eyes began to close as they spoke. They tried to keep them open, but gravity and their desire to nap were against them. "I... wanna sleep more..."

"Of course, hon. Wouldn't you rather sleep at home, though? Your bed is a lot less... _wooden_."

They grumbled softly as their left hand searched the table for something. "Let me.... hold your hand..... please....."

 _ **God**_ that sounded so tired and cute. None of their words really sound complete or like they were fully dedicated to saying them. They kept on trying not to whisper everything they said, and they failed miserably.

Mettaton couldn't say no to them, so he took their hand into his and rubbed his thumb across its surface.

"How's this, sweetheart?"

"My chest feels funny."

"Alphys had to take your chestplate off for a bit. I'm sure she'll put it back when she's finished downstairs."

Using their other hand to investigate assured them that Mettaton spoke the truth. They then removed the charging cable and sat up next to Mettaton with their legs hanging off the edge as well.

Mettaton pulled them into a tight hug as soon as they sat up. It didn't need to be said to be aloud, but he obviously felt a thousand times better knowing they weren't on death's door.

"Mettaton..?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it.... okay if I..... I mean..... if you..... umm......" They looked up at him to try and convey their thoughts without words, only to dart their eyes away to look anywhere else.

He turned more to the left to look them more directly, tilted their chin upwards as to nearly force eye contact. He still gave them plenty of slack to pull away if they wanted, although they only seemed to be slightly anxious about his actions. "Do you want me to kiss you, Blooky?"

Napstablook fidgeted with their hands and positioned themself to sit facing him more properly. "When we get back home.... if you want..... if it isn't too much trouble...."

"Or... we could do it right now."

"We.... can't...."

Mettaton couldn't help but move back a bit because of their comment. Had he made them uncomfortable? "Oh? Why not?"

"I mean.... we **shouldn't**..... It's weird to do that kind of stuff.... in another person's home..."

"This is my home too. And it's not like we're screwing around in Al's bed or anything."

"Still....."

A quiet sigh escaped Mettaton's lips. "If you don't want to, I'm not going to force anything."

"No, I..... really want to... and I mean that..... _**I**_ want to.... kiss you...."

From the sound of it, Napstablook seemed pretty keen on leading their kiss- Or at the very least, they wanted to initiate it.

"All right, here's an offer for you: I'll close my eye, and whatever happens... happens."

Some things are much easier said than done.

How does kissing even work? Your lips touch and... then what? For a while, Napstablook found themself staring at at Mettaton while trying to figure out how to go about everything. Like always, his confident aura intimidated them a lot more than it should have. He sounded so sure of himself, and they new he'd be disappointed if they left him hanging.

Kissing is merely the time between your lips touching another person's and the act of the two people pulling away.

All they had to do was start.

Sitting up straight, Napstablook did their best to imitate how Mettaton kissed them. They were gentle and they moved slowly. His eye being closed helped them overcome any stress holding them back since he couldn't see if they made any odd faces or did something wrong.

Mettaton couldn't help but smile. As much as he enjoyed holding Napstablook's hand and guiding them through little acts of intimacy, having them step outside their comfort zone filled him with pride.

Sooner than expected, Napstablook pulled themself away from Mettaton to ask if they'd been doing a good job. Since they _literally_ had no idea what they were doing, they figured asking would be the best way to learn.

"Oh, honey... You're doing _more_ than just **good**."

Almost forcibly, they were pulled back into the kiss. They could have moved away if they were uncomfortable, but they instead shimmied their way onto his lap and wrapped their legs around him. They seemed most comfortable sitting there, almost as if they were built for it.

Despite Mettaton's arms being wrapped around them, Napstablook still found themself to be uncomfortably far away from him. The obvious and simple solution to this problem would be for them to scoot forward a bit, and when they did, they were in for something unexpected.

Without any sort of warning on either end, Mettaton found himself letting out a soft moan against their lips. It was then where the tables truly turned. For once, Napstablook wasn't the one turning bright red or radiating heat like the sun. And while he didn't want to stop any more than they did, he felt obligated to apologize for his actions.

"You really caught me off guard there," he explained with his mouth partially hidden behind his hand. "Sorry about... about _that_."

In a weird way, it was kind of satisfying for Napstablook to see him in such a state- He looked _genuinely_ flustered and embarrassed, and they highly doubted it to be the work of his acting abilities.

"I h-have your... chestplate..."

A meek voice from the background caused both robots to tense up. How long had she been there? How much did she see? How much did she hear? Not wanting to know the answers to those questions, Mettaton helped get Napstablook off his lap so they could retrieve their piece of hardware.

"You doing okay, Napsta?" She asked while clicking the bit of blue plastic and wires back into place.

"I'm okay.... still kinda sleepy...."

"You just need a good night's rest. I, uh, took the time to update your antivirus and some other stuff so y-you shouldn't shut down like that again. Y-You'll also be able to withstand the loss of m-more fluids."

"Oh... thank you...."

Alphys smiled brightly. "It was n-no big deal. Just... please try to stay by Mettaton until I can find a more permanent solution to his problem."

They nodded in response, and casually looked back at Mettaton. "I think I can do that...."

"Good! Great! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a **lot** of s-stuff to work on."

That was her way of kindly saying, " _I need to work alone and having so many people here at once is making me want to hide under a rock._ "

Napstablook understood what she meant loud and clear, and without needing any more direction, they guided Mettaton to the door and waved their goodbyes. Mettaton didn't want to leave quite yet, but seeing how enthusiastic Blooky seemed to continue their walk, he once again found himself unable to say no.


	10. Crystalline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short and cute chapter for all your short and cute chapter needs

"Are you sore at all, love?"

Napstablook stopped walking to reach up and touch where Mettaton bit them not too long ago. No soreness or even a twinge of pain could be felt in the least. "It feels fine.... really.... You don't need to keep asking things like that....."

How was he _not_ supposed to ask if they were all right after their brush with death? They're his family! If anything, they shouldn't even be walking home after such an ordeal. He offered at least three times to carry them, and every time garnered the same reaction.

"Are you sure you don't need me t-"

"I just.... want to hold your hand.... if that's okay......"

Without another pestering word, Mettaton took hold of their hand as they walked back home. He felt a little better knowing they could ask for things like that without apologizing profusely.

The snow from earlier stopped falling, and its remnants could be seen sticking to the corners of car windshields and the crevices of trees. The bright sun seemed to melt away any other evidence of snowfall that didn't land somewhere cool and shaded.

"Mettaton?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a dumb question..."

"It isn't dumb, but ask me anyway."

"Oh... you.... don't even know what it is yet...."

"Doesn't matter," he said as they stopped at a crosswalk. "Just trust me when I say I know it isn't dumb."

"Oh.... all right....." They soon walked across a nearly empty street while being gently pulled along by their cousin. Their voice softened quite a bit as they spoke, making it difficult for Mettaton to hear them over the few cars. "Am I........ a good kisser..?"

Mettaton's grip on their hand tightened. Although he knew his answer, he didn't really expect them to ask something like that out of nowhere. "Of course you are, honey."

Their walking speed slowed down as they resumed their regular path on the sidewalk. While no more cars drove by to interfere with their words, they instead muffled themself behind their scarf. "So...... what makes it good..... exactly?"

Mettaton didn't have a clear idea of how to respond. What made **anyone** a good kisser? He supposed it depended on how much they liked the person, since love tends to negate many negative connotations you have with said person and their actions. So if he was to kiss a complete stranger, what would make the experience pleasant or not? He wouldn't know where to put his hands or how far to go. With no boundaries and every boundary in place simultaneously, it would make everything too stressful for him to fully enjoy it.

"You're very gentle," he began, "Your lips are soft, and you haven't made me feel grossed out in the least whenever we kiss. I've had fans who've kissed me without asking, and none of them have been enjoyable; I actually consider you to be the best person I ever decided to smooch."

Behind their scarf, he could tell they were blushing furiously. The bright red color stood out greatly against their dark scarf and messy white hair. "Can we...... do that again.... please?"

"Do what, sweetheart? Kiss?"

"Yeah..... if.... you want to...... We're almost home, anyway....."

"We don't need to hide when we kiss." He stopped at the edge of the sidewalk next to an old-looking brick building. "I understand if you're embarrassed by it, but I hope you know that I have absolutely _no_ problem being romantic with you in public. I love you, Blooky. And I'm not ashamed of it."

He spoke calmly while his nerves nearly got the best of him. He wasn't sure if what he said came off as a confession or simple reassurance, and their reaction to it would likely determine how he'd recover.

They essentially froze in place with the only moving parts of their body being they eyes and hand that clung to Mettaton's. They shifted into a more uncomfortable-looking stance with their legs pressed together and free arm holding onto their abdomen. They wanted to cry, but oddly enough, they felt the opposite of sadness."Could..... you say that again?"

"Which part, dear?"

Their buried their face in their scarf, thus having only their eyes show. "That..... you.... _love_ me........ I know it's a weird thing to ask.......but.... it sounds.... really nice..... to hear you say it........"

Mettaton mover cloer to them, still holding their hand, and looked them in the eye. He spoke in a gentle, calming tone right after a rather loud car drove by. "I love you."

Napstablook found it unusually difficult to continue standing upright. For whatever reason, their knees felt as if they might give at any moment. They were still incredibly tired from earlier, although they had a feeling it wasn't the cause of their sudden inability to stand.

Mettaton noticed their slight shaking and awkward silence, and took it upon himself to scoop them up in his arms like a princess. They made no objections; in fact, they wound up snuggling against him while the distinct sound of his heels clicking against the ground lulled them to sleep.


	11. Innocence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have an effing headache, my dudes
> 
> aside from that, please enjoy this thing i wrote

Mettaton soon found himself standing outside of Napstablook's apartment with said robot asleep in his arms. His first attempt to open the front door proved to be futile, as Blooky had their keys tucked away in their pocket. They looked wonderfully content and cozy all curled up against him, so he didn't want to wake them up just to grab their keys. He also didn't want to rifle through their pockets for them. Even though he knew they'd be more than okay with it, he'd feel horrible for having to move his hand up their skirt. They still wore their regular, skin-tight pants underneath them, but the concept of violating their privacy made him uneasy.

In the end, his desire for them to be asleep and comfy overpowered his feeling of discomfort, and the keys were quickly retrieved in record time.

A few steps were taken into their unusually cold home before he shut the door with his heel. He wanted to lay them down, and since the couch wasn't unfolded into its more comfortable state, he had to remove the cushions and move everything into place with his legs and feet. Now, while he may have been incredibly talented and more than capable of doing a thousand and one things with his legs, he never practiced in making beds with them.

There's a first time for everything, and that includes overly complicated couch yoga.

Once that was said and done, and his cousin looked warm and snug under their blanket with a pillow beneath their head, Mettaton wanted to do something nice for them. After all, he needed to pay them back for letting him nearly take a chunk from their neck, and he figured tea would be a nice thing to wake up to after a long day.

Their open kitchen looked relatively small, even for a one bedroom apartment. It came with an oven, a microwave, a fridge, and a variety of cabinets and cupboards, but nothing really separated it from the rest of their home. In fact, if you entered their apartment and looked to the left, to the untrained eye it'd look like they had a bunch of kitchenware in the corner of their living room for whatever reason. Even with counter space and sink, it simply looked... off.

What was he looking for again?

Tea, right?

The countless cabinets were filled with fuck all, honestly. Mostly plastic containers and boxes of unknown contents. He did eventually find the tea, and a kettle right next to it, so get got to heating up the pot right away after filling it with water. He saw Alphys make tea a few times, and while she usually made it in the microwave, Mettaton didn't think it sounded very appetizing that way.

"Mettaton..?"

A sleepy voice snapped him out of his concentration, and all his attention soon went towards the shifting humanoid shape in Napstablook's bed.

"You don't need to get up," Mettaton said as he sat by them. "You just relax, okay? I'm making-"

He couldn't finish his sentence.

There was something wrong.

Napstablook sat up, but instead of having a smile or their normal, neutral expression... they were crying. They didn't even make an attempt to dry their tears as they fell from their cheeks, onto their lap, and ran down their face.

Mettaton's eye widened, and he reached out to comfort them. While they didn't move away or ask him to stop touching their back, they **did** flinch at the initial contact. And with their head down, Mettaton couldn't quite see their face to find any source of discomfort. He could usually read facial expressions like a book, and with theirs hidden, he didn't have anything to go off of.

"Blooky, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"I don't know..." They looked up at him briefly. "I don't know what's wrong..... I'm sorry...... I didn't mean to worry you..... it's nothing..."

"If you're crying, then there isn't ' _nothing_ ' wrong. I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I want to help."

"There isn't..... anything **to** help........... Sorry......"

Mettaton pulled them closer, almost into a hug, and ran his fingers through their hair. They still refused to look at him or to lift their head up. While he didn't want to make them do anything, he also didn't want them to feel any worse by not having someone to cry on.

"Sorry..... it's really dumb....... I had a bad dream....."

That's.... not what Mettaton expected them to say. It was a start, though. "What was it about, love?"

Napstablook shifted in place for a bit, trying to find the right words to describe their recent surreal experience, but ultimately forgetting a majority of what happened. "I can't really remember... sorry....."

"Shh, it's okay." He managed to pull them a little closer, and by then they'd finally stopped crying. "I'm here. Nothing bad is going to happen."

In what could only be described as the smallest increments possible, Napstablook slowly wrapped their arms around Mettaton, only to drag him down onto the bed with them. With the both of them on their sides and in each other's arms, they soon found out they were... kind of stuck.

"Sorry......"

"It's fine, dear."

"I just wanted to cuddle..."

"You know I don't mind, right?"

"Oh..... okay...."

Napstablook wound up moving and shifting around until they were on top of Mettaton. Despite managing to untangle from each other, they were still just as close as before.

"This isn't any better.... is it......"

"Well-" Mettaton grunted as he moved his legs to a more comfortable position. "-I don't think it's any _worse_ , either."

"I can get up.... if you want....."

"Now, why would I want my favorite cousin to be any further away from me?"

A brief silence fell over the room while Napstablook attempted to rebuttal him somehow- not that they wanted to get up or anything. They would have preferred not getting in Mettaton's way, though. He'd likely never tell them if they were in the way, mostly out of kindness, so they were always left wondering if they should move, give him space, etc.

"Blooky?"

His words dragged them out of their deep thought and back into their corporeal body, which happened to be (or at least **looked** like it was) pinning Mettaton to the bed. They looked over his with a partially raised brow, wondering how they even got to such a position in the first place. Weren't they cuddling a moment before?

"S....sorry..... I can move..."

As Napstablook's body threatened to get up from their comfy bed, Mettaton used his legs to keep them firmly in place. Locked at the hips, they looked over at him with familiar question marks in place of their pupils, waiting for an answer to an obvious question.

"Where do you think you're going? Alphys said you need plenty of rest, so unless the fate of the world rides on you getting up, you're staying right here."

They accepted their fate sooner than most people would have. They knew struggling would only result in _them_ being the one pinned down to the bed with their wrists by their face and Mettaton's hands by their head. This, however, didn't mean they couldn't think of a few excuses.

"What if.... I need to use the bathroom?"

"You don't. Your body is the same as mine, and I've never needed to use that weird ceramic thing in every restroom I've come across."

"The snails probably... need more-"

"You know how slowly they eat, hon. They'll be fine for a few more hours."

"Can I just-"

Knowing they wouldn't be able to free themself from Mettaton's legs by moving back, Napstablook rolled their hips forward to try and squeeze through what they _thought_ would be an easier way of going about getting up. This resulted in Mettaton making a similar noise to the one he made when they moved up his lap at Alphys' place, although without their mouth to muffle the sound.

"Sorry..... Mettaton.... Did that.... hurt..?"

One of his arms moved up to cover most of his face along with the blush overtaking his naturally pale skin, and of course, it didn't do much to hide the hesitation in his voice. "No, no. You... you hit a sensitive spot is all."

"Oh..... okay............. Can I get up now?"

"Absolutely not."

Napstablook, under normal circumstances, wouldn't have a mean bone in their body. In fact, you can say they have no bones at all, if you're a certain round-looking skeleton. Bones aside, they wouldn't typically do something mean or act on devilish impulses. No, they'd _never_ try to elicit the same reaction from Mettaton on purpose in hopes he'd let them go. Absolutely not.

"You're- _ahh...!!_  You're doing this on purpose now!"

"I mean..... yeah.... and you're keeping me in bed on purpose....."

"That's not the same and you know it!"

"Oh... you're right..... you haven't even tried to stop me yet..."

Mettaton's once pink face turned bright red as a distinct feeling of shame flowed through his plexus of circuits, wires, and other hardware. Although Napstablook might not have be one to speak their mind all the time, they sure as hell knew when to stop pulling punches, and even in Mettaton's position he truly appreciated their occasionally blatant honesty.

"You're.... really warm..... down here......"

"Oh, and whose fault is that?"

"Sorry...... Do you want me to fix it?"

And at that very moment, Mettaton felt as if his Soul left the corporeal attachments of his feeble body and ascended to the heavens above in the most violent manner possible. They could have said anything else. Literally _anything_ else. And they chose to spit out possibly the first thing entering their mind.

The heat from Mettaton's burning face leaked into the rest of his body to the point of him worrying about their bed/couch catching fire. Every last inch of his body urged him to go along with what his cousin offered, but he knew he needed to keep his composure.

"As much as I've love for you to, I'm not sure if you'd really be okay with doing something like that."

He managed to keep his cool as he spoke, sounding firm yet loving in hopes they'd understand he wasn't trying to come off as mean.

"Oh..... yeah..... still..... I want to try things with you..... someday..... I'm not really sure how I'd start......... I know _some_ stuff....... not much....."

"If you _really_ want to try, I think I'm more than capable of leading you through most of it."

He didn't mean to say that aloud.

**He did not mean to say that out loud.**

And yet, it left his mouth. Just like he didn't want it to. Deep down, he really wanted to say it, otherwise it wouldn't have crossed his mind in the first place. This, however, didn't mean he intended to let it out _then_ and _there_.

A slight shiver ran up Napstablook's spine as Mettaton spoke. They weren't entirely sure if they'd ever get an opportunity to do anything remotely sexual in their life since they mostly had no interest in those things, and sex sounded about as appealing as a stale soft pretzel. Still, they felt as if Mettaton might make the experience more palatable, and they wanted to try it at least _once_.

"Oh...... s... sorry........ I don't even know where to start...."

"That's fine, love. I can guide you every step of the way if you want me to."

Napstablook nodded sheepishly. "That'd be nice..... if you could...... if it isn't too much trouble....... if you really want to....."

"I'd be happy to, Blooky. You need to give me your hands first. And don't be afraid to tell me if you want to stop at any point, all right?"

"M-hm..."


	12. Or So It Seems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just now realized that i can respond to your comments
> 
> uhhh i'm too anxious to reach out to you individually  
> just know that i appreciate all your kind words

Delicate fingers trailed down an abdomen of sleek, flawless glass, stopping at a heart shaped figure residing within. Only upon being directed did they continue moving downwards until the very tips of them touched thin, black fabric.

Mettaton leaned back at an angle, using an arm to keep his body somewhat upright as his curious cousin explored him to their heart's content. Previous feelings to guilt melted away from his metal casing as a gentle hand and ever cautious eyes looked him over, and his inner people pleaser you'd likely see on stage came out. He knew they needed to take their time when trying new things, and he'd be lying if he said he minded all the time they spent feeling him up. When he told them most couples start everything with a bit of touching, they needed to know where and how to put their hands. After he told them they could touch him _wherever_ and _however_ , they seemed like a completely different monster.

At least, they seemed like a monster who didn't apologize every few minutes.

For a little bit.

Napstablook started with his jawline, leaving kisses as they traced down to his chest only to keep their face near his for cursory looks of approval. Their hand hesitated over his Core, wondering if they should take care of his problem more directly. Having stayed in one place too long, Mettaton used his free hand to carefully move theirs down the path it'd been following. Soon enough, they reached the border between his abdomen and everything above his thighs, and they couldn't help but look to him for guidance. Do they go under? Stay on top? Either option would likely ruin his pants to some degree.

"Do you... want to take these off?"

A mix between a hum of amusement and a quiet laugh could be heard from Mettaton. "Most people prefer to keep them on if it's their partner's first time, but that's all up to you."

While not being able to fully see what they were doing could be a problem, they knew their limits and didn't want to be overwhelmed by too much new material at once.

"Oh..... okay..... How do I-"

With a little adjusting, Mettaton moved their hand so their fingers faced downwards while their palm was still directed towards his body. With their body being as flexible as it was, it felt about as normal as shaking someone's hand.

Anxiety began to creep up on Napstablook once their digits moved below the black fabric. They knew what to expect for the most part, although they weren't sure on what to do when they got there. Thankfully, Mettaton provided crucial, if vague, information.

"Don't worry about a thing, love. You don't need to ask for permission, okay? I'll let you know if something doesn't feel right."

They wanted to nod or let out some kind of sound so he'd know they understood, but a sudden warmth caught their voice in their throat. They couldn't quite describe what they felt without making it sound somewhat gross, even though they didn't think it was.

"Now that's a face," Mettaton said, causing Napstablook to snap out of their thoughts. "How does it feel to have me in your hand like this?"

His half-whisper of a voice gave them chills. They didn't want to start moving so soon, and with him talking as smoothly as he was, their body had a difficult time staying still. They could feel him looking at them with a soft smile while he played with their hair. They could feel a **lot** of things in that moment, really.

"Sorry..... I don't know..... what to do now....."

"It's fine, you're fine. Just... _touch_ me. Right where your fingers are."

 _But **how** ,_ they wondered. _You should be more specific._

Since he didn't seem too keen on wanting to explain every little thing to them, Napstablook went with what scarce information they could go off of. What they were touching was likely as sensitive as his Core, so starting at the top of their trial-and-error list, Napstablook hesitantly rubbed the undersides of their fingers against him.

Soft noises could be heard from Mettaton with every little movement of Napstablook's hand. They started slowly, hardly moving their middle finger, and eventually worked their way up to pushing and rubbing in a rhythmic pattern. It seemed like that would be enough, had it not been for Mettaton covering his mouth. They weren't sure why, but seeing him not be as vocal as before when he could _clearly_ be as loud as he wanted made them... upset. And since they still had a hand left to their disposal, they decided to make good use of it by gently prying away his own palm from his mouth.

"S... sorry..... I want..... to hear your voice..."

Mettaton smiled while attempting not to get terribly loud while talking. He tried his hardest to keep a sultry expression and demeanor; extra emphasis on _tried_. "I... I didn't think you-d- _nnn!!_  -You'd... _ah~!!!_ -I... I'll try not to hold back for you, love~"

For a moment, Mettaton worried about Blooky's neighbours hearing such loud noises come from their room. With as often as they left their apartment, it wouldn't be a surprise if hardly anyone knew they lived there at all.

They'd know for sure after Mettaton decided to quit playing around.

With no hand or mouth to cover his own, every single noise escape Mettaton's lips. Every gasp when Napstablook adjusted their hand. Every breath. Every moan. Every whimper. Even when his tongue pressed against the back of his front teeth, he refused to silence any and all noises his body willed him to make.

"Am I..... doing a good job? You like this, don't you?"

Despite the lack of friction or contact on any of Napstablook's erogenous zones, they sounded almost as distressed as Mettaton. While no moans rose up from their throat, their breathing grew somewhat heavy, and the way they spoke sounded a bit more confident, as if they **really** enjoyed what they were doing.

Instead of responding with words or by nodding, Mettaton leaned in to give them a less-than-graceful kiss. It lacked the control and stability he normally had while kissing someone, and with the way they were touching him, he couldn't help but smile against their lips.

Napstablook didn't expect it, although they weren't complaining. What they **would** have complained about was be Mettaton's sudden shift in weight. He went from resting everything on his arms propped behind him to leaning forward with his arms wrapped around their neck and his face buried in the crook of it.

"Oh..... are you..... okay?"

Mettaton mumbled a "M-hm," into their shoulder. He had a hard time focusing on saying anything coherent whatsoever while his body decided to do whatever it pleased. His hips seemingly moved on their own in order to compensate for a lack of movement on Napstablook's end. This wasn't to say they were doing poorly, per se, but being inexperienced tends to put your partner in the position to help themself.

A distinct hot feeling began to build in Mettaton's lower region. His breathing grew ragged and desperate as his body urged him to bite down onto something. Pathetic whines slipped past his lips as he realized just how close he was. He tensed up, clinging onto Napstablook with an almost painful amount of force, before going nearly limp against them. His heavy breathing gradually came down to his normal patterns as he rode out the last few waves of his orgasm.

Slowly but surely, Mettaton regained his ability to speak. "Blooky," he started, still sounding a bit breathless, "I'm so sorry, I... I really didn't mean to... uhm..." Words caught in his throat as he tried to figured out a proper way to explain why he started apologizing. "I expected myself to last a little longer is all."

"It's.... okay....." They thought he 'lasted' a perfectly reasonable amount of time, considering the fact that their hand was getting tired. "Sorry for talking so much during.... and for asking so many questions....."

"You're fine, love." He gave them a little smooch on the cheek. "You can move your hand now, though."

More quickly than they should have, Napstablook removed their digits from Mettaton, and he untangled himself from them to check on the tea.

"You all right, hon?"

"......My hand is sticky."

"Oh my God." Mettaton coughed into his arm in an obvious attempt to not laugh like a madman. "You probably don't want to touch anything while you're like that. C'mon, the tea's almost ready anyway."

"Does.... that mean I can get up now?"

Mettaton nodded while smiling from ear to ear. "Absolutely."


	13. Fade Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someone requested cuddles so i'm gonna try and write some cuddles  
> i hope you like it, person who wanted cuddles  
> i'm too awkward to actually reply to you properly haha
> 
> i'll try to write more often but writing is hard and it takes a lot of time and effort  
> thank you for being patient with me

"I sure hope you don't pay for water here."

Napstablook blinked as they finally pulled their hands from the running water in their sink. They'd been lost in thought long enough for Mettaton to grow worried over the empty stare they gave their hands. More often than not, they found themself staring into the fridge, at running water, or at the edges of their mirror as their mind wandered. Sometimes they thought about life. Sometimes the snails. Or how Mettaton was doing living with Alphys. It happened most often when they were home alone since nobody could snap them out of their thoughts.

However, they weren't alone.

"Do I..?" They half-mumbled to themself as they shut off the water. They shook their hands to dry them a bit before wiping them on their skirt. "I don't remember....."

That... sounded an awful lot like someone who easily gets scammed would say. "You only pay the ones with your name on them, right?"

"Well..... yeah...... I'm not an idiot.... Mettaton..... I know what bills to pay..... I just lose track sometimes."

That sounded an awful lot like something someone who doesn't enjoy being treated like a child would say. "Right, right. Let's forget about that, yeah? Here-"

Without much more of a warning, Napstablook found themself being pulled into a tight hug from behind. "Oh..... okay... I guess this is happening now...."

They sounded... reserved. More than usual, anyway.

"Are you all right, darling? I can stop if you want."

"No.... I just thought.... you wouldn't want to be so close..... since we just...... you know......"

"What? Blooky, it's actually normal for couples to be intimate after... ah..."

The two of them seemed a little apprehensive about saying exactly what happened aloud. Blooky wasn't really sure what to call it, and while Mettaton could probably put a name to it, saying those things to someone so close, sweet and special made the words halt in the middle of his throat.

"B-Besides, it's been a long day. A lot went on in such a short span of time, so of course I want to hold you."

"Oh..... right...... Yeah... I'm okay with this...."

"You don't really sound it, love. Is something wrong?"

"Not really..... but I know you...... and I know you're gonna want to go out again......" They sighed softly. "I don't really have the energy..... to do that......."

Mettaton soon found himself resting his chin on the top of their head as they spoke. He knew many of his shorter fans didn't like being used as something to lean on, however Napstablook almost encouraged him to do so. They liked being useful and they liked being touched by him, so there were no downsides.

"Is that so? Who said I'd rather be doing anything but spend time with you today?"

For whatever reason, Napstablook could feel their face begin to heat up at his words. They always felt incredibly flattered by any of the smallest compliments from him. And since they'd been able to be more open with their feelings about each other, his soft voice and sweet words seemed to affect them even more.

"Oh..... I shouldn't assume things....... Still..... you'd be bored sitting here with me...... without internet....... or anyone more outgoing to talk to....."

"Not being outgoing doesn't mean you aren't interesting." He gave them a kiss on the top of their head, effectively flustering them more. "I _really do_ love spending time with you. You're one of the few monsters I can really be open with, and I appreciate you putting up with my ego."

Napstablook tensed up. "Oh.... umm..... could you...... ah..... I don't know how to ask for this...... without sounding selfish......."

"I think I'm the last person who'll judge you for being selfish. Go on."

"Do you..... think you could...." They spoke more quietly than they normally did, and their voice held quite a bit of hesitation. "Can you kiss me? Or... can I kiss you..? I don't mind..... either way....."

Mettaton laughed softly. "Where did _that_ come from?" He slowly unwrapped his arms from their body and turned them around. With a loving smile, he tilted their head upwards by their chin and leaned in until their lips were nearly touching. "We were **just** talking about spending time together. Are these the type of things you want to do in our private moments?"

Even the tiniest of pixels could be seen in Mettaton's eyes because of how close he was. Napstablook felt significantly smaller compared to him than they felt on a regular basis, and yet they still had a voice to speak with. "Not.... all the time....... I like doing other things..... with you......."

"Right, right. _Other_ things." He tilted his head, and his once loving smile curling into something a little more meant to tease or get a rise out of them. "Such _wonderful_ examples include: Making me moan like a pornstar."

Their face quickly turned a bright red even before he finished his sentence. They inhaled sharply, attempting to get a word in edgewise before their natural timidness caused them to shut down. "Th-that's not..... what I-"

"And not only did you have me make such inappropriate noises, but you **encouraged** me to be loud!"

Not a hint of malice could be heard in Mettaton's voice. No, in his eyes, he was just teasing them a bit.

Judging by Napstablook's face, they knew he didn't mean any harm. This, however, didn't stop their words from struggling to escape their lips. "I.... oh...... sorry....... Your voice is really nice....... is all....."

"You know what?" His eye narrowed slightly as a soft smirk graced his features. He took a short step forward, causing Napstablook to step back towards the counter. He took another step, and they went back once more. This process repeated until they couldn't go back or forward any further, and they couldn't do much aside from succumb to the confident and matter-of-factly way Mettaton made his points. "It seems a little unfair how you've heard **and** felt me in an incredibly intimate way. Don't you agree?"

Nodding would have made their faces collide in an unpleasant manner, so with their tongue pressed to the roof of their mouth, they exhaled a shaky "M-hm," through their nose.

"It's only fair for us to be even, _darling_." His expression softened, and he moved his face to a more reasonable and spacious position. "That is... if you're okay with it. I'd hate to rush you into something like this when you're not interested or comfortable."

Napstablook swallowed hard, biding time to soothe their nerves. "I.... don't really-"

Their words were cut short by the sound of high-pitched whistling that nearly made the two of them jump out of their metal casing. Mettaton quickly recovered from the scare and dropped his flirty schtick to go and prepare them both a cup of tea while Napstablook stood in place wondering what could have happened if Mettaton forgot to leave the burner on, or if it took a few minutes longer to boil. After all, their imagination went wild as he closed in on them, and him stopping like that left them feeling a little more than disappointed.

They still wanted a kiss.

As Mettaton turned off the stove after filling up two identical mugs, Napstablook stood at his side and pulled one his his arms; urging him to turn their way. Once he did so, they clenched their teeth before standing as tall as they could on their toes to reach his face with more ease. They quickly realized standing in such a way didn't give them enough height, so they reached up to pull his head down some to compensate for the remaining space.

Everything happened so fast. Mettaton couldn't even ask that they were doing. By the time the thought to do so crossed his mind, he found himself kissing back and pulling them closer. Having them take the lead left him feeling pleasantly surprised, and it showed in how much he found himself smiling.

While their execution was sloppy, everything after the initial contact went like a dream. He didn't push them away like the voice of anxiety in the back of their head told them he would. He embraced them lovingly and without hesitation.

He _did_ pull away eventually, however. His pupil flickered momentarily to from a cute little heart, and it took him longer than usual to find a voice to speak with. "If you wanted to kiss me so badly, all you had to do was ask." He hummed in thought. "Mmm... I wouldn't mind if you did that more often, though."

"Would you..? Oh......." They shrunk back down to stand flat on their feet. "Sorry...... I didn't even ask......"

"You don't need to apologize, Blooky." He leaned down to kiss their forehead. "It wouldn't be fun if you had to ask your lover to kiss them every single time."

The way he said 'lover' so casually rang through their head for a lot longer than it should have. They wondered why they got so hung up on it. That's... what they were, right? He even confessed to them not too long ago. They may not have properly reciprocated his feelings at the time, but they felt the same way. They wanted to be his partner. They wanted to be with him and for him to be happy. He seemed happy enough by their side. He enjoyed their company. He _told them that he loved them_.

So why did it hurt?

It didn't hurt as much before. It didn't hurt at **all** when he laid his feelings out in front of them. Did the realization finally catch up? Were they **just** understanding what it meant to be close to someone so popular? They probably wouldn't even be breathing the same air as him had they not been good friends before he became who he truly wanted to be.

"Blooky, what's wrong?! Why are you crying?"

Napstablook desperately attempted to wipe away the tears forming at their eyes, hoping Mettaton wouldn't worry. Instead, they found themself giving in to their feelings and breaking down in front of him. No matter how much he held them or comforted them with gentle touches and reassuring words, they couldn't stop shaking.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm not upset. Everything's fine."

"I don't..... want you.... t-to......"

They felt like something was stuck in their throat, preventing them from saying anything else. They could breathe and swallow just fine, but as soon as they tried to get explain themself, a distinct tightness made its way to their neck. Even holding their abdomen for a bit of comfort didn't ease the sensation.

Mettaton held them close and slowly ran the tips of his fingers from their hair down to the middle of their back. "We went over this already, hon. I'm not going anywhere. Being with you makes you- makes _us_ happy, so I'm here to stay."

"H.... How.... did you....."

"I think I might know you almost as well as _you_ know you."

They didn't really understand what he meant, but they went along with it. "Oh... okay......."

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah..... wh-"

Without warning, Mettaton scooped them up into his arms. Reflexively, they wrapped their legs around him so they wouldn't slide down.

"I guess it doesn't matter if you can since I want to carry you anyway, huh?"

"Oh..... the tea......"

Mettaton began walking towards the folded-out couch. "I can always reheat it. Right now, I think what you need most is a solid half hour or so of cuddles." He sat down, moved over to rest on his side, and pressed his forehead against theirs. "I know I could just go back and get it, but then we'd have to sit up and there's really no place for us to comfortably set the cups down."

Napstablook didn't have anything to complain about in regards to Mettaton's plan. They adjusted to lie comfortably within his embrace, and they felt a little better knowing they could do nothing for a while. Even if tears still pricked the corners of their eyes every few seconds, they were quickly wiped away either by Mettaton or themself.

"I want you to know that it's going to be okay, Blooky."

"M-hm..."

"Even if you're not feeling well, I'll do my best to help you."

"That's.... not really.... your responsibility....... I don't think......"

"Oh, hush." He squeezed them a little tighter. "I know it isn't, but I really do want you to be happy with us."

"Okay......"

"Are you feeling any better?"

They nodded. Being in such a position made them drowsy even if their battery was doing fine, so they didn't feel like giving much effort into responding.

"That's good. That's... that's all I really need from you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ps
> 
> i write a lot of my stuff to music from the sonic games


	14. Pink Lullaby

Something felt wrong.

Nothing bad could be taken from their current position. They were cuddling someone they loved. The snails were well fed. It was a beautiful day.

And yet they felt as though they were unable to pull away from this dreadful sinking feeling tugging at their chest. Despite not having a real heart or ribcage, the space just beyond their torso **ached**. It stung. It burned. Like someone tied a dozen fine strings of wire to their circuits and started pulling. They could hear their fan working, and it felt as though it'd been clogged with something sharp. Being unable to think of anything else to do, they made a sort of discomforted groaning noise while clutching at their chest. At least whining about it helped a little. Mettaton didn't seem to notice, either. In fact, they were pretty sure he fell asleep a bit ago. He seemed to be doing a lot more of that as of late; falling asleep easily. They wondered if it was because of the virus. Or maybe he overworked himself again. They could never be sure with him.

"Mettaton..?"

"Hmm?" He eye fluttered open and a warm smile crossed his face. "What is it, love?"

"Are you really happy..... with me?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

They didn't like the way his response came out. It sounded... forced. Although, it may have been their imagination. He could very well have been mildly annoyed by their constant need for reassurance, which they understood.

"Are _you_ with **me**?"

"Oh......" Then came the aching in their chest again. It felt more distinct than before, manifesting itself in a concentrated area instead of being a vague pain across a part of their body. "How.... would I know?"

The sheer dumbfoundment Mettaton felt from their question was enough to fully wake him up. What did they mean? How do you _not_ know if you're happy with your partner? Were they really that unsure? Or were they unhappy and unable to admit it? On the other hand, if he really wanted to judge their question, then shouldn't he be able to perfectly explain what it feels like to be satisfied with your relationship?

Oddly enough, he couldn't put it into words.

"I don't feel good..."

"Oh? What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Their voice descended, quickly becoming quieter towards the end of their sentence. "That's silly..... isn't it...... I should know what's wrong.... if I don't feel well...."

"That's actually more normal than you think." Mettaton shifted around, adjusting himself so their head moved a little closer to his neck and chest. "It could be stress. Our bodies might not be organic, but we can still experience emotions on a physical way like humans can. In fact, I'll often find myself being in a weirdly specific amount of pain before my shows, and it only goes away once I'm on stage."

"Oh...... all right....... if you say so....."

"You don't sound very convinced," he stated bluntly. "Should I leave, darling? You might just need to be alone for a bit."

Napstablook shook their head. "I..... think that would... exacerbate the problem......"

Mettaton pouted. He felt pretty useless not being able to help them directly. At least they seemed to like him running his fingers through their hair, which he started doing out of habit. "Well, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh..... uhh.... just...... having you touch me feels really nice......."

They weren't sure how to describe what they felt in that moment. _Hollow_ would be a nice choice. It was scarily similar to how they came off back when they lived alone at the farm. This didn't sit well with them, seeing as Mettaton couldn't be much closer.

"I.... never thought you'd come back..... Mettaton...."

"What..?"

"When you left..... I accepted it..... you were gone....... just like everyone else...... So having you here is still so weird...... like it shouldn't be happening..... because I convinced myself it wasn't **going** to happen....."

Mettaton needed a moment to collect his thoughts. He knew he hurt them. He knew it would take time for things to get better and for him to earn their trust again. Witnessing them struggle at coming to terms with him being back threw him for a loop, to say the least. "Oh honey, this is happening whether you want it to or not. What I did was wrong and I want to make up for it." He smiled playfully. "You're just going to have to put up with my existence. What a shame."

"But.... am I..... putting in enough effort? For the whole.... relationship thing.... I mean....."

"I think so, sweetheart. You forgiving me is enough."

Napstablook whined quietly. "Are you sure it's enough?"

"You can do more if you _want_ , but I'm happy like this."

"Oh..... right....... I'd..... make it worse....."

"Baby, no!" He pulled them closer into him and hushed them softly. "I don't want you stressing yourself over me is all."

"I don't get stressed easily..... Mettaton....."

Mettaton laughed in a low voice. "You got overwhelmed, like, a month ago because you had to answer the door and take your food out of the microwave at the same time, and you didn't know what to do since you were convinced both things needed to be taken care of simultaneously."

Silence.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me you don't remember that!"

".....I do."

"Trust me. What you're doing is enough. Although, I'm open to any ideas you might have if you want to try something."

"Oh..... okay....... We're..... a couple..... right?"

"A couple of super adorable robots. You know it."

"That's not-"

"I know, dear. I apologize. It was too good to pass up." He briefly kissed the top of their head. "Continue."

"Couples..... go on dates and stuff..... so..... we should..... maybe...... uhh...... if you want to..... we can....."

"I'd love to go on a date with you, if that's what you're asking me."

"Y...yeah..... We kinda.... already had a date today.... technically......."

Mettaton found himself smiling more and more at them. They seemed to finally be accepting of everything being okay, even if there was a problem still gnawing at the back of his head like a bad itch. "You're thinking of something a little more... _official_... right?"

They nodded, humming softly in approval. "I don't..... know what an official date counts as..... I'm okay with anything... though......"

"Lots of people go to basically the same places for dates; the theater, a fancy restaurant, a park, et cetera. Still, we aren't limited to those. A date can be anywhere."

All those sounded pretty nice to Napstablook. However, the one sticking out the most to them was the theater. They could go out to eat or go to a park at any time on your own. Seeing a movie seemed like something you don't do by yourself.

"Do you.... know what movies are playing tomorrow?"

"God, I have no idea. We'd actually have to go there to see."

With the internet still being locked behind a virus-filled wall of filth, they would have to go out to the place and see what's screening that day. It _might_ be in the newspaper. Maybe. Neither of them were sure since they never actively read them before- not since they reached the surface, at least.

"We could probably.... go soon...... maybe not tomorrow if you don't want to....... and..... whatever looks best.... we can see it..?"

"That sounds lovely, but I think you need a day or two to recover from today. We can go then if you want."

Napstablook sighed softly, finally feeling content with just lying there doing nothing after having to get so much off their chest. From what they could tell, the pain finally dissipated, and they could relax for the next few days without worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope these chapters aren't too boring
> 
> i just really like these two together in mundane situations
> 
> the next one will have more "action," i suppose


	15. Loving Contentment

Two days after making their plans to go to the movies, Mettaton and Napstablook met up outside the theater at around five o'clock in the evening. The time alone gave Blooky plenty of leeway to mentally prepare for going out again. To many people, this will not sound very difficult. For them, it was the equivalent of going for a long run and needing a while to relax before doing so again.

Mettaton managed to "eat" again without nearly killing his cousin. Things went much better than before since he only used their wrist, and the two even developed a sort of two-day routine for him to do his thing- a schedule, if you will.

"It's.... really nice out... today...."

"Isn't it, though? Such a shame we don't have one of those... those, uh... outside theaters. The ones where you sit in a car or on the ground."

The cold allowed roughly an inch of snow to stick to the ground, and the couple dressed appropriately for their little outing. Mettaton went with fur lined boots and a cute beige sweater to go with it, while Napstablook wore a matching jumper and their usual leg warmers.

"Do you.... have a preference... or..."

"I haven't seen any of these, so you go on ahead and pick whichever one you want."

Napstablook furrowed their brow at the selection of featured films. There was an animated one Alphys might like, a generic romance featuring a straight couple, and... a movie about cats? **Domestic** cats? There _had_ to be something else.

"How about...." They pointed to the one with a red balloon on the poster. "I think it's a remake.... I've wanted to see it for a while..... so....."

Mettaton gritted his teeth. They just **had** to pick the spooky one- with a _clown_ , no less. "Let's get some snacks, m'kay?" He managed to smile somehow, even though he knew the end drew near for him.

 _Let's get this over with_ , he told himself while walking into the theater; one hand held Napstablook's arm, and his free hand and arm clutched a soft drink he doubted he'd be able to sip on during the showing.

Mettaton's fight-or-flight reflex was set off throughout the entire thing. He **hated** it. He hated it more than he thought he could hate anything at all. Why clowns? Why _demonic sewer clowns_? Where were the women in the front row so excited whenever the clown came on screen? Why were these humans in particular somewhat disturbing? He thought they were so cool at one point, and the ones near the front were about to ruin his mental image of all humankind. Meanwhile, Napstablook hadn't even flinched and Mettaton wondered if he was marrying some sort of psychopath who cries when they lose their headphones but can watch murder without any sign of emotion.

...Marrying?

Did he really think about marrying them? In the middle of being scared half to death?

In his defense, they _would_ look lovely in a wedding dress. And the thought of them wearing something so pretty calmed him down enough to ignore the movie completely while staring lovingly at them. He probably looked pretty strange to anyone else in the theater, but at least he wasn't fawning over a child murderer.

"Mettaton..?" Napstablook turned to him briefly. "What is it? Is... something wrong?"

Absentmindedly, Mettaton allowed the first words he could process fall from his mouth. "I just think you're beautiful."

His lapse in thinking before speaking seemed to work out in his favor, seeing as they took the compliment quite well. The darkness of the theater proved to be far too weak for the adorable blush on their face, as it shone through the minimal light clearly. They briefly tugged at the collar of their sweater, as if wanting to pull it up over their endlessly red cheeks. They proceeded to face him more directly, ignoring the movie they picked out for themself, and spoke in a hushed tone as to not disturb anyone else in the vicinity. "You know... I always thought that about you...... even before you got your body...."

Mettaton sat with his eye wide and his mouth hanging slightly open. Hearing them speaking of his featuress, sheet-like body in such a positive light made him turn red from the neck up. He never considered himself attractive as a ghost. He never thought _anyone_ could find him any more than 'okay' to look at. While he certainly thought his darling Blooky looked perfect as a spectre, it just wasn't the look for him.

And they thought he was beautiful.

The theater might as well have melted away around him at that point. He could only manage to focus his gaze on the side of their face as they stared intently at the film playing on screen. They probably didn't give it a second thought as soon as they'd finished speaking while he, on the other hand, couldn't get their words out of their head.

"Oh...." Almost unmoving, Napstablook glanced over at him. "Sorry..... Mettaton...... I can feel you staring...... and it's a little.... distracting....."

Mettaton blinked. "A-Ah. I apologize, love."

Instead of staring at them like some sort of creep, he could probably settle for holding their hand. They were only using one for eating a drinking, so he assumed he might be able to get away with it- at least for a little bit.

As soon as the tips of Mettaton's fingers touched their gloved hand, they moved to intertwine their fingers with his. They weren't going to say anything aloud since it would have embarrassed him, but they saw how on edge he'd been and wanted to soothe his nerves. It was their fault, anyway. They were the one who wanted to see such a scary movie.

Through the power of hand holding, Mettaton managed to get through the film with minimal flinching. Did he have a good time? Sure! Would he watch that movie again on his own terms? Hell no. Absolutely not. He'd rather have his wires yanked out.

Even when exiting the theater, the two still held hands. Napstablook somehow managed to suppress their anxiety and general fear of being judged long enough for them to comfortably welcome his touch, and Mettaton felt able to enjoy being so close to them **much** better without a killer clown in his face.

"I'm glad you..... stopped shaking....."

"Shaking? I wasn't shaking." Mettaton moved his head to flick his hair more to the side of his face. He wasn't event afraid! Why would he have been shaking?

"Oh... well..... all right......" Napstablook sighed. "Do.... you want to go home? You probably-"

"I _do_ want to go home, and I'd **love** it if you'd come along with me."

Napstablook stopped walking, allowing Mettaton to take a few steps ahead before realizing they weren't following anymore. "Sorry.... you're probably expecting me to say this..... but I feel like I'd just get in the way...."

Mettaton looked back at them. "And you should expect _me_ to say **this** : I love you and you're not in the way."

Hesitantly, Napstablook continued walking with him over to Alphys' place. Luckily, the town they lived in was rather small. Most things were in walking distance if you didn't mind your legs and feet being a little sore by the time you reached your destination, although most people still prefered to travel by car.

_Knock, knock, knock..._

"H-Heya, guys!"

Alphys looked like she'd seen better days. Her white lab coat looked more grey than Mettaton remembered, and it was dotted with cola and ramen stains. Clothes aside, the bags under her eyes were more noticeable than anything else, and even her normally bright yellow scales didn't look nearly as vibrant.

"Oh, honey." Mettaton pouted. "You'll work yourself to dust like this. When's the last time you got some rest?"

Alphys smiled up at him in a rather crooked and unconvincing way. "Nah, nah. I'm really close to a breakthrough! I can feel it."

Mettaton nodded as he released Napstablook's hand. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. I hear ya." He then knelt down, scooped Alphys into his arms, and carried her over to the cube-shaped bed she moved right by her messy desktop.

"I just n-need a... few more days! More days and more coffee... I ran out of that a while ago."

Mettaton continued to nod and hum in agreement with her while activating the bed and tucking her in. The moment she left his arms, she went limp and fell fast asleep even before he got her under the blankets.

"Is..... she going to be okay..?"

Napstablook timidly stood at the entrance while Mettaton went on to be a good friend. They didn't want to get in the way or make anything awkward, so within the doorway they remained until Mettaton came back to drag them off to his room.

"Oh.... sorry..... I didn't know if I should have come in or not....."

"You're fine, hon." He grabbed their hand once more and pulled them in the general east direction of the house. Further in that direction was the kitchen, but right before it rested a rather out of place wooden door that'd been painted a soft pink. After opening said door, Napstablook soon realized the gentle color of the outside was only a warning for things to come.

Pink.

 _Very_ pink.

Mettaton's room looked nearly identical to the one back underground, only a little smaller. Fairy lights lined the ceiling, providing only source of light. An enormous mirror hung on the wall directly across from his bed. Not to mention all the pink.

All the pink.

There wasn't even a consistence in the color, either. The walls were a different shade from the carpet and the ceiling. The lights were white but incredibly dim, making everything look darker and almost romantic.

Everything looked so _soft_. The walls. The bed. The floor. Everything but the mirror appeared to be made of felt or fleece.

"Oh...."

Napstablook wasn't sure of what to do next. His room had such a different feeling compared to their own home. How did his single room reflect him so perfectly, both inside and out, while their entire house looked incredibly generic and uncomfortable to live in?

"Are you gonna sit next to me, love? There's enough room here for you."

While they were busy wrestling with their own thoughts, Mettaton sat down on his bed to patiently await their arrival back to their own mind.

"Oh..... yeah......"

Looking past all the pink, Napstablook plopped down next to him. They really wanted to enjoy spending time with him at a location other than their home, but seeing their reflection in the comically sized mirror across from them felt odd.

"Sorry..... can we.... sit on literally any other side of this?"

"Sure! So long as you sit on my lap."

"Ah..... w-well....." Napstablook paused. "I was..... I mean..... I wanted to do that anyway......"

"It's settled, then!" Mettaton stood up, taking them into his arms as he went to sit in a more comfortable position. "How's this?"

"It's..... uhh...." They could still see their reflection if they turned their head, although they felt a lot better without an extra set of eyes looking directly at them. "I like it here..."

Mettaton smiled while wrapping his arms around them. "What do you mean by _'here'_ , love? On my lap or alone with me in my room?"

"That's-" They tensed up while trying to think of a way to get out of answering his question. While they could have gone either way, they didn't want to say it out loud. "W... Why do you.... still live here..? If you don't mind me asking...."

He shrugged. "Al gets lonely and I like having the company. Plus, it's good to have my mechanic nearby in case I fall out of bed."

"It must be weird..... with Undyne being so close and all..... She isn't your biggest fan...... from what I've heard...."

"True, true." He pulled them in a little closer so he could hear their soft little voice more clearly. "I've been thinking of moving and taking you with me- since I can't be alone and all."

"Ah... sorry, but..... **can't**..? Why can't you be alone?"

Mettaton tensed momentarily, only to continue as if he didn't just sit there silently for ten solid seconds. "I don't like it is all. I'd... I'd rather not be without someone in case I did something stupid again."

"Oh.... well..... I wouldn't mind living with you.... in the same house and stuff........ Would we share a room? And... a bed?"

"If you want to."

Napstablook furrowed their brow. How many times had he said that since they reconciled? It almost sounded as if he felt _indifferent_ towards anything and everything they had a choice in. "Do **you**? And-! And.... don't say that it's up to me..... What do _you_ want?"

"Oh, Blooky..."

"Metta-"

Without warning, Mettaton flopped onto his back, effectively dragging them down with him.

"To be completely honest? Aside from being happy, I have no idea what I want. I'm kind of just going with what comes to mind."

Napstablook rolled over to face him directly since resting on their back on **his** front proved to be more uncomfortable than they thought, even with their soft clothes cushioning them a bit. This wound up looking like they pushed him onto the bed, and only one of them really noticed. "I'm.... assuming it's working..... You seem happy... most of the time."

Mettaton grinned mischievously. He already had a response scripted in case they said something along those lines, but with them in their new position, a whole new set of wonderful ideas came to mind.

"Oh no!" Mettaton threw his arms to rest above his head in a rather dramatic manner, and he closed his eye for added effect. "You've got me right where you want me, don't you?"

Question marks flickered in Napstablook's iris' as Mettaton put on his show. "I.... uhh.... what..?"

"Don't play dumb with me, darling. You've got me pinned... we're all alone... and I'm-" he let out a deliberately loud sigh "-vulnerable! Completely and utterly vulnerable before you!" He opened his eye slightly to look up at them. "Don't act like you didn't plan all this."

"I'm.... not acting......" Still, they understood what he'd been getting at, and it made their face turn more pink than the bed they were on. "Do you.... want me to do something, or...."

 _Only if you want to_ , almost made it past his lips, but Mettaton caught himself just in time. He really **did** need a new way to get his point across without saying the same thing over and over again. "I'd **love** it if you would, but I'm not going to force it out of you."

"Oh.... okay...." They looked down at him, making sure they went over his body before coming to a conclusion. "Sorry.... I don't know where to start....."

"You can start however you want, really." He shifted a bit so his legs didn't hang off the bed so much. "It doesn't even have to be sensual."

"Um....."

From the look on their face alone, he could tell they needed a little more direction than _'Do whatever.'_ Their brows raised worriedly and eyes were wide, and while this looked rather adorable to Mettaton, it came off as almost panicked. The endless possibilities his freedom gave them overwhelmed the poor little robot.

"Do you want me to lead for a sec?"

Napstablook's expression changed to something looking a little less worried-deer-in-headlights-esque. No more wide eyes, although they still seemed unsure. "Oh.... okay..... Can I.... still be on top?"

"You can be wherever you like-" his hands slowly moved away from his head to reach up and gently grab the sides of their face. His voice, while always calm when speaking to them, dropped to a deeper, more sultry tone as he watched them with a half-lidded eye. "-so long as I can kiss you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i said i'd write more often but :v what can i say? video games and depression have been taking up my time
> 
> aaaaaaaaanyway
> 
> it's kind of comforting to know that after i die, all of this stuff i write will still be here
> 
> ya know?
> 
> like a legacy or something
> 
> a legacy of incestuous robot smut
> 
> . . .
> 
> i wouldn't have it any other way


	16. Show Me

Napstablook whined quietly as Mettaton stared deeply into their eyes, only to not make any allusions to kissing them. He didn't pull them any closer **nor** did he lick his lips, look at their mouth, or do anything to indirectly tell them a smooch was on its way.

"Mettaton..? What are you... doing?"

"Can't a guy get a good look at the love of his life?"

While Napstablook proceeded to turn beet red and made various soft flustered noises, Mettaton couldn't help but laugh quietly as their pale skin turn from pink to almost blood red.

"We.... haven't even been dating very long..."

Gently, Mettaton ran his thumbs across their cheeks; his laugh replaced with a smile. "Oh, honey... I've known you for as long as I can remember. I _think_ I might be able to tell whether I love you or not."

"Oh.... well..... if you say so...."

It still didn't make much sense to them. They _also_ knew him for the majority of their life... and yet, they weren't entirely sure if they loved him in the same way **he** loved them. What would it even feel like to be in love? To _really_ want to live with them forever and ever? It sounded risky. What if one of them died or fell out of love? The thought of Mettaton leaving (leaving _again_  in this case) made them highly uncomfortable. They'd rather him never come back at all than break their theoretical heart.

They were quite obviously lost in their thoughts yet again, that is, if Mettaton judged their ultimate 'there-ness' by the blank look on their face. He thought about shaking them softly or saying something to bring them back down to reality, but a more sweet idea popped into his head.

Napstablook's breath caught in their throat as Mettaton snaked an arm around their back and used another to bring their face even closer to his. The cogs in their oblivious mind started turning, slowly at first, until the only logical conclusion clicked into place.

It...  _would_ have been a completely normal point to come to had Mettaton not given the tip of their nose and little kiss instead of their mouth.

"What's with that face, Blooky? You almost look disappointed."

"I'm not...... I just... kinda wish you'd stop teasing me.... if that makes sense...."

Now, the way their said that had playfulness lacing almost every word, and Mettaton heard it himself. This, however, didn't stop him from going beyond jovial into something a little less innocent.

"You call THAT teasing? I'll show you teasing, doll."

"Wha-"

In a few quick movements, the hand on their back moved to the end of their sweater and slipped beneath it. Reflexively, Napstablook lifted their body up off of him so his hand wouldn't struggle to do... whatever he planned on doing to them. Being held up by both their arms, they didn't really have a way to defend themself from being tickled, if he decided to do so. Surprisingly, this worried them more than anything else.

"Oh _my._ Someone's excited~"

Napstablook blinked. "Oh.... no, I'm just.... moving.... so you can.... touch me..... if you want....."

After sliding his hand up their abdomen some, Mettaton drummed his fingers against their glass chamber; creating a recognizable, albeit dull, sound. "I'd **love** to touch you more... but this-" he gave it a quick tap, earning a slight jolt from them "-won't open for anyone aside from you or Al."

"You want.... _that?_ "

A pout graced Mettaton's features as he traced the tips of his fingers across the glass. "You're not going to make me beg for it, are you?"

"N...No, I... just need a second... to fix myself...... I don't want it to drip on you...... or anything...."

"Take your time, darling. I couldn't go anywhere even if I wanted to."

And _take their time_ they did. One wouldn't think sitting up on your partner's hips, lifting up your sweater, and moving a bit of glass would take more than a minute, but Napstablook's movement's were deliberately slow. They didn't want to fall on or hurt Mettaton, nor did they want to move too quickly and manage to hurt themself. And while what they did was done out of caution, Mettaton saw it as them almost teasing **him** as payback.

Mettaton sat up some, propping his body upright with his left arm. He technically still remained beneath them, so they didn't mind him in such a position.

They looked so precious holding their clothes up for him... even if what he saw happened to be things he'd normally see whenever he spent time with them. Still, he took the experience as something special- he got to do something **new** with them, after all.

"Are you really okay with this?" He asked in a soft tone. While their lack of eye contact was nothing new, they still seemed rather uneasy.

"Oh...... I... think so......" They took in a deep, slow breath. "Just..... be gentle..... okay?"

"I can be gentle for you." He leaned in to give their forehead a reassuring kiss. "Don't hesitate to let me know if you want any more or any less, okay?"

"M-hm..."

Decisively, Mettaton pressed the tips of his index and middle fingers to their core. He traced around its slick surface with a feather-light touch, and his fingers left a bit of a trail across it similar to the surface of water when you run your hand over it.

It didn't take long at all for Napstablook to become a complete and utter mess in Mettaton's hand. As gentle as he tried to be, having them move against him put more pressure onto their core. And while they weren't as loud as Mettaton hoped they'd be, what they lacked in volume they made up for in their slew of gasps and occasional hip movements. Their free hand lazily covered up their partially opened mouth with parted fingers, thus letting almost every little squeak and hitch in their breath come through.

"Is this all right, love?" He stopped moving his hand momentarily so they could focus more clearly on answering. "Everything feel okay?"

Instead of answering verbally or by nodding, Napstablook reached out with the hand they used to cover their mouth. While Mettaton initially took is as them wanting him to lean in so he could hear them, this simply was not the case. Their hand grabbed onto his shoulder and roughly pulled him into a kiss. The sudden forward momentum caused Mettaton to put a lot more weight on his palm, making it press up against their core about as hard as they pulled him in. Naturally, they became quite vocal after feeling him squeeze them like that.

Mettaton happily returned the kiss while running his thumb over the sides of their heart. One wouldn't think such a soft and sheepish monster would be so loud, and yet they repeatedly had to pull away from their partner as to not 'ruin' the kiss via hitch-pitch, needy moans. They seemed adamant on keeping quiet during their little makeout session, but their rebellious hips apparently had other things in mind.

"M... Mettaton? I feel...... kinda funny..."

It took him longer than he'd like to admit for him to realize Napstablook actually spoke to him instead of making cute noises. "Funny how?" He drew in a shaky breath, obviously being affected by their current state almost as much as they were. "Should I stop?"

"No.... there's j- _nnn_ just.... _pressure_....."

They tried to say something after talking about pressure, only to have their words turned into a garbled mess in their head even before they left their mouth. If they did manage to speak in their disheveled, foggy state of mind, Mettaton wouldn't have heard much of anything due to their face being buried in the crook of his neck. For **whatever** reason, they found it unusually diffucult to stay upright without assistance.

Mettaton felt a little more disoriented than he anticipated on being. Just the feeling of having _them_ in the palm of his hand made it hard to keep his focus. He wanted to see the kinds of faces they were making while liberally squishing and pushing his fingers against their core. With them being in his neck and all, he wasn't going to be seeing much of anything. It's not like he needed to. The sounds they made painted a pretty enough picture for his imagination to almost be unnecessary.

"S... sorry...... Metta....." They inhaled deeply, their strained voice being interrupted by the occasional glitchy skip. "It's.... a lot......."

 _A lot?_ Were they over stimulated? Too warm? Mettaton would have loved for them to elaborate. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to ask due to the sudden sharp pain in the side of his neck. A little red X flashed in his eye until he managed to calm down and understand what happened. He worried they contracted his virus until he realized they hadn't even bitten him hard enough to break the skin of a human. While none of this stopped the bite from hurting, he... didn't mind all too much. Pain aside, he could also feel a distinct heat fill out the majority of his gloved hand.

As quickly as it came, Napstablook went almost entirely limp against Mettaton. They leaned the majority of their body on him and exhaled their apologies as they attempted to orientate themself. Everything felt vaguely fuzzy and soft, as if most of it wasn't even there. While the world around them slowly faded back into existence, they realized how much more calm they were. And while they weren't particularly stressed before, they felt a hell of a lot lighter after...

"I'm.... really sorry...... about....."

"You... you don't have any reason to be, Blooky. I'm the one who urged you to go along with it."

Napstablook sat up to speak to him more properly instead of leaning on him and speaking into only one ear. "I don't.... think you did....... I.... still had a lot of-" They glanced down while speaking, only to snap their head right back up after seeing Mettaton's hand completely soaked in the light blue fluids from their core- his palm still resting on it. "....sorry.... about that......."

"I can always get more gloves, hon." He looked down at his hand, feeling tempted to continue touching them, then looked back up. "Is it okay if I..?"

"Oh..... yeah... just...... be careful....... it's.... _really_ sensitive... right now....."

Keeping the word _sensitive_ in mind, Mettaton moved his hand away from them slowly. They didn't freak out or flinch or anything along those lines, so he assumed they were fine by the time he got his hand back to himself. _Soaked_ wouldn't even begin to describe the state of his poor glove. The back of it? Completely fine. Pristine white. The front? Blue nightmare. Smelled somewhat like menthol. If Napstablook hadn't been in the room with him, he may have brought it up to his mouth to find out if it tasted as minty as his nose assumed it would.

"Please..... don't," Napstablook implored in a soft tone. "I.... won't stop you..... but....... don't you think that'd be..... a little weird?"

If they were able to pick out his stray thoughts so well by looking as his face, then he must have been staring at the blue mess much more intently than he thought.

Taking his glove off and turning it inside out, Mettaton replied in a playful tone. "If I wanted to find out what you tasted like, I wouldn't be getting my answers indirectly."

Their usual flustered robot noises were a lot less audible than he expected. In fact, the distinct lack of noises or attempt to change the topic made it seem as though they were exhausted.

"Tired, hon?"

They nodded lazily, looking as though they were struggling to keep their eyes open. "Sorry..... I shouldn't be like this..... I charged and everything......."

"Honey..." He reached out to caress the side of their face, to which they leaned into his hand with closed eyes. He wanted to tell them how being tired after was normal, maybe tell them how cute the noises they made were, but any and all intelligent thought quickly evaporated from his mind after seeing their adorably sleepy face washed in the room's gentle pink glow. How hadn't he noticed the way their hair looked like cotton candy when bathed in pastel hues?

Napstablook opened one of their eyes just enough to see Mettaton's expression. "Hey.... is it okay if I..... take a quick nap? I promise not to...... stay too long....." As much as they enjoyed resting their head in his hand, they prefered snuggling up in a heap of blankets at the time.

"You can sleep for as long as you want. Besides, I need to check on Alphys."

After helping close up their glass chamber and tucking them in, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. He wanted to make sure his friend was doing okay... and that she didn't overhear anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and now for a haiku by me
> 
> anti shippers can  
> choke on the fattest part of  
> my fresh and clean ass


	17. La Sonrisa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know sonrisa means "smile" in spanish. just... don't question things. it makes sense to ME and that's all that matters

"Mmm... Metta..?"

Napstablook sat up in bed after realizing they were sleeping completely alone. Where did Mettaton run off to? They didn't want to dwell on it too much. He was a busy guy with an actual social life, so they couldn't expect him to stay with them every waking moment.

They wanted to get up too.

Still feeling rather groggy, they stretched and looked around the room, only for their eyes to land on the mirror across from them.

The mirror they didn't want to look at.

All at once they remembered every little detail of what they did with him.

Napstablook wanted to laugh it off as something lovers normally do but a wash of shame kept them from feeling normal in any sense of the word. They could still feel his hand squeeze around them if they focused hard enough on the memory.

Welp.

Time to get up and act like they didn't just do some weird shit in their friend's house.

"Blooky, are you awake?"

Mettaton entered the room speaking in a hushed tone as to not wake them if they were still out cold.

"I.... just got-"

"Blooky!!" With a smile on his face and enthusiasm in his voice, Mettaton wrapped his arms around Napstablook and pulled them into a tight hug. "I missed you so _much~!_ Did you sleep okay?"

"M... m-hm..." They hugged him back, although not as firmly as he did. "Did you... go somewhere..? It.... feels like we just saw each other....."

"We did! We did, but I went out to grab some supplies for Alphys and lost track of time... It feels like I haven't seen you in months and I was only gone for a few hours."

A few hours?

"Oh..... I didn't mean to sleep for so long....."

"No no no! You're fine, love." He pulled away from the hug to kiss them on the forehead. "It's not like I got bored waiting for you to wake up or anything. Al really needed some proper food and a couple things from the... the, uhh..." He snapped his fingers a few times, trying to remember the name of the store. "The place that smells like sawdust. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Did he mean the one home repair shop with all the doors and power tools..?

Napstablook nodded.

"Good~! Now let's get you home, okay?"

Leaving sounded like a pretty good idea. The sooner they got out of there, the less of a chance they had to be interrogated by Alphys for any and all sounds she may or may not have heard.

Taking hold of Napstablook's hand, Mettaton waved goodbye to Al before heading out with a spring in his step.

"You look.... really happy.... You're not hiding something.... are you?"

"Mmmmnope." He gave their hand a little squeeze. "I'm in a good mood is all. Al says she's really close to making a breakthrough, the weather is supposed to be nice these next few days and I got to spend some _quality time_ with you."

Napstablook couldn't help but tense up some at the words _quality time_. Him being able to say those things aloud so casually always caught them off guard, even if he wasn't blatantly saying what they did.

"S... Sorry if I was... loud....... I don't remember.... apologizing for it before....."

"Oh, hon..." He tugged them a little closer as they walked. "There's no need to apologize. You made the _cutest_ noises... I'm actually looking forward to you being even more vocal next time."

Napstablook let out a nervous laugh. Again with him being so open about it in public... What if someone heard him?

"Can we maybe... not... talk about these things outside?"

"Oh?" Mettaton tilted his head. " _Oh._ Okay, okay. Sorry, I've been really excited about you... about **us** lately. I won't say anything else about it if you don't want me to."

"It's fine... really..... I didn't say we can't talk about it at _all_... just.... not around other people......"

The way they worded their response really got Mettaton thinking. Them being fine with discussing what they do together was a lot more than he could ever ask for. He mostly prepared himself for it to be a normally taboo topic with them, but the fact that they were willing to talk about it _whatsoever_ caught him off guard and filled his head with ideas.

"It's getting pretty late," Mettaton said as Napstablook unlocked the door to their apartment. "I hope your nap won't keep you from sleeping tonight."

Napstablook shrugged. "I don't mind.... It's not like I'd sleep well anyway...."

Mettaton winced some at their comment. With them falling asleep so easily at his place, he forgot they had problems drifting off on their own most nights. He could remember them once telling him, back when their first got their body, about how nice it was to see the sun rise every morning. Even if they didn't sleep, they still got to see a day end and begin anew all in one sitting.

He wondered if it still looked as beautiful to them.

As they entered their home, Napstablook glanced briefly at Mettaton. "Do... you want to come in... for a minute? I know it's late... so you don't have to....."

"You don't even need to ask for that, love."

Almost as soon as the two entered their home and the door was shut, Mettaton's personality shifted from playful and happy to a side of him Napstablook hoped they wouldn't see for a little while.

Without any sort of warning or hint as to what to come, Napstablook found themself with their back against the door and looking dead into Mettaton's eye. Their legs dangled helplessly around him, and the only thing keeping them from sliding onto the ground was him pressing them against the door with his torso and hips.

At first, Napstablook couldn't quite process what happened. He sounded so joyful and giddy a minute ago. Did they do something wrong? Was he not feeling well? Judging by how heavily he was breathing, maybe the latter would answer more questions.

"I'm... I'm really sorry about this, Blooky." He drew in a deep, shaky breath. "You can't understand how **famished** I'm feeling right now. I drank my fill not too long ago, I know, but I feel like I might pass out if I don't get it over with."

In fear of falling down, Napstablook wrapped their legs around him to stay upright. They weren't worried about getting hurt as they were worried about damaging their body, making life for Alphys all the harder.

"Darling, I'm not going to... to do this if you don't say yes." He paused before letting out a quiet yet strained laugh. "It won't feel right unless we're both on board here."

Despite still being horribly confused, they meekly nodded in agreement with his request. Maybe if they did it quickly and without hesitation it wouldn't hurt as much.

A sweet smile graced Mettaton's lips once he had their consent. "I really don't deserve someone as understanding as you, you know that?" One of his hands moved to intertwine his fingers with theirs, pressing it by their head with the tiniest amount of force. Meanwhile, the other was positioned by their torso for leverage. "I'll make it quick, I promise."

Napstablook took a deep breath to prepare for the upcoming sharp pain in their neck. However, it didn't hurt nearly as much as they anticipated. They felt an uncomfortable amount of pressure where he wound up biting down at most.

At least... they _thought_ he bit down already. Without the sting of previous encounters, they weren't too sure.

"Mettaton...?" They wanted to reach up and maybe give him a little tap, but the moment they moved their arm they could feel themself begin to fall. "You're..... are you even......."

Their inability to say anything coherent eased their mind some. And while they were glad Mettaton didn't hesitate and potentially put his life in danger, they were still worried about the lack of pain. If they could think more clearly, they would have wondered why it felt so pleasant. They weren't in some sort of weird lusty state where all pain substituted itself with an overall enjoyable sensation, however. They just liked it. They liked being held. They liked knowing their partner wasn't going to die in his sleep. They liked how Mettaton lifted them up some to keep them at eye-level with him. They liked how he held their hand. They liked how it felt to have their legs wrapped around him.

"I told you I'd be quick."

Without them realizing it, Mettaton pulled away from their neck and touched his forehead to theirs. Their eyes weren't closed, so how they managed to block him out would remain a mystery.

"Are.... you okay now?"

"Never better~" It seemed as though his happy-go-lucky attitude returned as quickly as it went. "Sorry about all of... _that_. I didn't mean to be so dramatic."

"It's fine..."

As per their usual routine, Mettaton scooped Napstablook up in his arms, carried them over to the kitchen counter and patched up their fresh puncture wounds. Each time he fixed them he could notice his handiwork less and less, and once it was said and done, Mettaton went on to rinse his mouth of the red coolant he kept accidentally swallowing.

"Hey.... Mettaton?"

"Hmm?"

Napstablook fidgeted some where they sat. Asking anyone for anything always made them feel unreasonably guilty. "Can you still.... stay over for a bit?"

"Of course I can! I said I would, didn't I?"

"Oh...... I thought you only agreed because you were hungry....."

"Honey, I always want to spend time with you. I'm just bad at managing the time I'm given." He shut off the kitchen sink before walking over to them. "Do you remember when I once tried to fit three interviews and a date all in a four hour period?"

Napstablook nodded. "You almost got hit by a car...... and you almost killed the guy behind the wheel."

"Let's not talk about the car situation. Anyway-" Grabbing them by the hand, he helped them get back on their feet. "Now that I can't accept every little request I get on my phone, I have a whole lot more free time to spend doing whatever I want." He then gave their nose a little boop with the tip of his index finger. "I want to know what **you'd** like to do now that I'm here, though. Did you have anything in mind?"

Did they? They weren't sure. They were just hoping he'd say yes so they'd get to snuggle up to him and maybe get a few kisses. Still, they had a vague idea of something they could do to pass the time, even if it would only last a few minutes.

"....Do you wanna sit on the roof.... and watch the sunset with me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter is short. it be like that sometimes


	18. Sting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has been brought to you by:  
> I Wish More Mettablook Art Existed But I Can't Draw So This Will Have To Do

"Can you hear me, Blooky?"

A blinding overhead light caused Napstablook to shut their eyes tightly. Where were they? Why couldn't they recognize the voice speaking to them? Why did their back hurt? They felt a lot taller than they remembered- heavier, too. Something light constantly touched their face and covered the top of their head, and they soon understood the reason their back felt so sore.

"G-Give them some space, okay? You remember what it w-was like when you first woke up."

They were on Alphys' metal table she used for updating Mettaton. Even when they were incorporeal, it always looked horribly uncomfortable.

"Still. I want to be sure they're okay."

The voices they heard quickly sounded much more familiar. The light overhead became more bearable. Soon enough, they were able to open their eyes to get a look around.

"Uhh... W-Welcome to the, uh... physical world, Napstablook."

Alphys stood over them with her claws huddled to her chest as usual. She looked anxious, which was nothing new, but she tried to keep a smile on her face in hopes of not instilling fear or anxiety.

"Al, they look so cute!! You did such a **wonderful** job with their... their everything!!!"

On the opposite side of the table, they could see Mettaton, who wore a much more positive expression. From what they could recall, he was quite happy to hear about them getting their own body... after he suggested it about a million times, of course.

"Don't get t-too excited. We need to see if _they_ like it."

A low rumbling noise emanated from Napstablook's closed mouth for a brief period of time, only to stop after they noticed how loud they sounded. Who knew speaking could feel so foreign?

Alphys scratched at the side of her face. "Talking o-or doing much of anything might be an issue... for a little while, at least. Just take it easy, okay? Start w-with wiggling your tongue or t-tapping your fingers on the table, but don't try to get up just yet."

They wanted to nod or hum in agreement, but the fear of scaring themself again kept them silently in place.

Realizing communication might be a problem for Napstablook, she came up with something quick and simple. "How about you blink once t-to say no and twice for yes?"

They blinked twice. Blinking felt relatively natural and didn't make any noise, so they felt pretty comfortable doing so.

"Good! Okay! I'm gonna go do some... things..."

She paused, giving Mettaton time to get a word in, only for him to remain quiet and wait for her to elaborate.

"I... have to use the bathroom."

And with the sound of clawed-feet hitting the tiled floor, she was off- leaving Mettaton to yammer on about anything he pleased without interruption.

"I'm kind of glad you're not as curious as I was when I first woke up," he explained as he took a seat next to them on the table. "As soon as I realized which way was up, Al couldn't stop me from zooming around until my battery became dangerously low."

While Mettaton reminisced, Napstablook took the time to move their jaw around and stretch their fingers. They had so many new joints and extra bits they didn't know what to do with! How could humans keep track of them all? How did Mettaton learn to use his so quickly?

"You can say no if you think it might be too much, but do you think I can hold your hand?"

His question seemingly came out of nowhere, although it may have been less jarring if they paid attention to what he said beforehand. How were the meant to say yes again? Blink twice, right?

Slowly, Mettaton rested his hand on theirs. They didn't flinch, squirm or make any sort of indication that they were uncomfortable. It felt... pretty nice, actually. Nicer than the table they were on, anyway. "I apologize for all the questions, but is this okay?"

Instead of blinking, they managed to nod a little.

"Wonderful! You're doing such a good job, Blooky~" He smiled brightly at them, his grin showing off his sharp set of teeth. "I bet you'll be up and moving by the end of the day, won't you?"

They blinked once. Being okay with physical contact didn't mean they could run around. What if they fell? Then Alphys would have to fix them, and it'd probably hurt... What would being hurt even feel like? Unpleasant, sure, but how would it feel _exactly?_ It was one of those things you couldn't describe to a ghost in the same way you can't describe color to the blind.

"You'll be able to eventually, don't worry. I'm here."

At least it felt nice to be touched gently. They wouldn't know what to do if they didn't like something so simple.

"Just being near you like this is a great start. If you can stand my presence for more than five minutes, then I think you'll make it."

They wanted to laugh. Of _course_ they could stand being around him. After living together for so long, and after him leaving without warning, they were more than happy to share the same room with him. And having him be able to touch them again was a dream come true.

Maybe they were a little _too_ happy.

Or, rather, overwhelmed.

The inside of their chest felt tight, and the back of their throat stung a bit. Before they could figure out how to tell Mettaton what was going on, they felt something warm run from their eyes down the sides of their face.

"Nononono, are you okay?!"

Mettaton quickly used his gloves to dry their tears while being as careful as he could. He didn't want to hurt or startle them, but he also didn't want to leave them to drown in their tears.

"I'm.... fine....."

Even with as softly as they spoke, they still sounded significantly louder than they did as a ghost. Their words felt more... solid, somehow. As if they could hang in the air instead of fading away with time.

"I know, I know. You kind of scared me a little bit, though. I'm not used to seeing people cry without emoting."

"Sorry..."

He leaned over them, cupping their cheeks in his hands. The realization that they'd been speaking to him quickly set in, and he set his reassurance to the side for the time being. "Blooky~!! Your voice is so cute! It's so soft and it fits you perfectly!!! I'll go get Al, okay? She'll be so happy!"

Mettaton ran off before Napstablook could tell him they wanted him to stay nearby for a little longer. Since they weren't quite confident in sitting up yet, all they could do was helplessly watch as he disappeared outside their vision. Without him to talk their ear off, they felt unusually tired. _Super_ tired. So tired they could hardly keep their eyes open.

Closing their eyes until he got back wouldn't hurt.

Probably.

* * *

"Can you hear me, Blooky?"

Napstablook's eyes fluttered open. No longer were they in an unfamiliar body within Alphys' lab. Instead, they were in a body they grew to love which rested on the roof of their apartment. Their landlord didn't like anyone being up there, but when you can see the sunset so beautifully while several ladders dotted the side of the building, you can't expect someone who lived underground for most of their life to stay at ground level.

"Oh.... yeah...... Sorry.... I didn't mean to fall asleep...."

Mettaton sat next to them with his legs huddled up to his chest. He would have woken them up sooner if they didn't look so cute while sleeping. Besides, they never fell asleep around him and he wanted to savor the moment. "You're fine, love. I was afraid you'd roll off the edge, otherwise I would have let you rest."

They sat up in a similar position to Mettaton. Rolling off the roof didn't sound pleasant whatsoever, although they assumed Mettaton would at least _try_ to save them if such a situation arised. "The stars are... really pretty tonight..."

The sun quickly dipped over the horizon, causing dozens of stars to appear in the deep blue night sky. Oddly enough, ever since 3R1PM4V popped up and ruined more than a few phones, the sky looked a little more clear every evening.

"Do you know any constellations?"

"Uhh..." Napstablook paused. "Sans told me a few..... There's-" they lazily pointed at three juxtaposing stars "-oh.... I forget its name.... I think they... align with three pyramids.... somewhere..."

"Pyramids are those... those big triangles in the desert, right?"

"Probably..."

After Mettaton scooched a few inches closer to them, the two discussed various constellations. Mettaton would point at an odd star formation and Napstablook either told him its proper name or, if they didn't recognize it, they would both make one up. After five or so minutes, they made three new snail constellations, identified one vague cupcake shape, and only managed to name two other **actual** constellations. Sans told them about almost every one of them he could see in the sky, and Napstablook could barely remember what any of them looked like. Mettaton didn't mind, though. He only knew the 'dipper-ones,' as he called them.

"Oh!" Mettaton clapped his hands together as he swiveled to face Napstablook. "Speaking of cupcakes, how would you feel about us doing some baking tomorrow?"

Napstablook made a low rumbling noise. "I dunno.... We'd have to get eggs and stuff.... and clean up the mess... and make sure nothing catches fire...."

"Don't worry about those things," he placed a hand on their shoulder, "It's not like we're cooking with Undyne or Papyrus or a chainsaw... this time."

The way he worded his initial response made them laugh quietly. " _Don't worry_.... That's easy for you to say...."

Mettaton furrowed his brow. "Blooky, I worry about _everything_ \-- I just don't let it out."

"E... Everything..?" They couldn't help but notice the rather out of character expression on his face; concerned, lowered eyebrows... the faint yet genuine frown tugging at the corners of his lips... "Mettaton... I'm sorry.... I never even thought you _could_ be worried..... You never tell about about....anything, really...."

"I'd rather not give you more to stress about is all." He shrugged. "That's what acting is-"

"Please don't..."

What the hell was he even on about? **Acting?** Around someone he supposedly trusted and loved? Napstablook understood him wanting to keep them from panicking about their normally confident partner, but stars don't need to shine as brightly if there's a cloud in the way.

"You're always telling me.... it's okay to cry.... and I want you to feel the same with me....."

"Blooky-" he reached up to gently touch the side of their face with the back of his fingers "-It's fine, okay? You know that's not like me."

"It _is,_ though!" Their voice raised briefly, effectively startling Mettaton and causing him to take his hand back. "You have feelings and stuff too... and as much as you'd like to think it.... you're _not_ perfect..... You can cry and vent and still be strong and beautiful.... you can be upset or hurt and still be you...."

Mettaton couldn't believe what he heard from them. Their words, dripping with honesty, only came through more powerfully when they sat up straight to look him dead in the eye.

"You wanted to be human so bad... and you're bottling up so much that makes them unique....." Almost desperately, they took hold of both his hands. "If you have something to say.... if you want to cry.... if you want to tell me about anything that's bothering you.... please do it..... because I know you'd do the same for me."

"A...ah... All right, then..."

He couldn't bring himself to say much more. Their sudden burst of confidence and determination hit him like a truck. Did... they expect him to let all his anxieties spill out then and there? They'd be on the roof until sunrise if so.

"Oh... sorry...."

The mountain of positivity and confidence they once stood so proudly atop soon came crumbling down as the awkward silence of the night filled their ears. Could they have sounded any more generic or cheesy? Mettaton could have made up something better without taking a bunch of pauses or talking so slowly.

"You don't.... have to tell me anything.... if it makes you uncomfortable...."

"No, no." He shook his head and gave their hands a little squeeze. "It'd be nice to get some stuff off my chest without nearly giving Al a heart attack. I... I just don't know where to start."

"Oh... uhh.... well... when I want to vent.... or whatever..... I usually go with the first thing that pops into my head...."

"I'm worried you're not happy in our relationship, and you're not breaking it off with me because you're afraid of me leaving again."

**What.**

"What...?"

"What?"

They flinched. "N... Nothing.... I didn't think... that'd be an issue.... If.... I wasn't happy... you'd probably notice... you know? I wouldn't want to spend so much time with you.... if I didn't like being with you...."

"I know, I know." He looked down, sighing heavily. "It's really irrational, but spending _any_ leisure time like this with you helps a lot."

Did it?

"We can bake things tomorrow... if you still want to... Since it'll help and all.... and since I haven't eaten anything sweet in over a month...."

"Can we really?" Still holding their hands, he used them to pull Napstablook into a sudden and tight hug. The shine in his eye returned, as did the smile on his face. "It'll be so great, you'll see! I can make cupcakes with your face on them! And cupcakes with **my** face on them!!"

While Napstablook was pleased with his change in attitude, they couldn't help feeling it might have been... forced. Rushed. You don't go from _I'_ _m afraid of you leaving me_ to _Let's bake cupcakes!_ in less than five minutes; it either isn't healthy or it isn't what you really feel. Still, even if he faked his happiness at the moment, they were glad he told them at least one of his problems. With one known, they'd be able to focus most of their energy on it instead of spreading it thin on a dozen different problems.

Any start is a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these end notes have been brought to you by:  
> I'd Commission Someone To Draw Them But I'm Broke And Afraid Of Getting Scammed


	19. Sweets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter. i didn't mean to take so long to update but i went on a trip with my family then i got sick then i got even more sick and now i'm better and i wrote this just for you. i hope you like it.

Clean kitchen counter?  
Check.

Freshly scrubbed oven?  
Check.

An overwhelming feeling of exhaustion despite the lack of any physical exertion?  
Check.

Napstablook felt like they could sleep forever, and yet they only did two things since waking up, excluding their daily snail feeding. They still had baking and at least an hour of social interaction to go through with! Not to mention having to clean up whatever mess they were inevitably going to make. They even stayed in bed for a few extra hours for a little more charge, and somehow they felt one activity away from exhaustion.

Napstablook shook their head. They didn't have time to stress about being tired. They needed to get to the bottom of Mettaton's weird relationship anxiety. Someone so confident shouldn't worry about a monster like them leaving him. They idolized him, even after realizing they knew him all along. If anything, _they_ should be the one shaking in their boots over him leaving them for someone better.

They shook their head again to get their train of thought back on track. They didn't have time to stress about approaching his problems, either. Mettaton said he'd be coming over at about six, and their internal clock assured them it was around 5:54. Mettaton also said he wouldn't be bringing his chainsaw this time around, but his words didn't hold much water. Last time he promised not to bring it, they wound up needing a new cutting board and a replacement for their kitchen counter.

"Okay," Napstablook muttered to themself, "something's missing..."

But **what** was missing? They couldn't quite place their finger on it. Did they need to look the part for baking? Did they need one of those poofy white hats, the name of which they couldn't remember for the life of them? Napstablook didn't own one, but they _did_ have an apron Mettaton got for them when they moved in.

After a bit of searching through their mostly empty cabinets, they found the pink and silky apron that wouldn't look out of place in Mettaton's room. In typical apron fashion, it had a bit that hung over their neck while a ribbon on each side could be tied around their back into a cute bow. The bottom had a nice frilly texture that kept it from looking too plain, and it would hopefully keep any and all cupcake batter, icing, etc. from getting on their hard-to-scrub body.

_Knock knock._

For once, Napstablook didn't even hear Mettaton's footsteps before he got to the door. They did, however, recognize the way he knocked.

Mettaton stood patiently on the other side of their door with several plastic shopping bags in each hand. While they mainly contained cupcake making supplies, he also bought a bag of his favorite paprika chips and a box of regular chocolate pocky. They didn't weight very much at all, although the rest of everything he bought made his hands feel like they were going to pop out of place and fall onto the ground. He could have easily extended his arms so the bags rested on the floor, but then he'd have to go through the hassle of lifting them up again. All he could do was stand there and hope his cousin would let them in soon enough.

"Oh... you're two minutes early...."

Answering his silent prayers right on time, the door opened, revealing a very... aesthetically pleasing Napstablook. He **knew** the apron would look perfect on them! It hugged their little abdomen so nicely and showed off their cute curves in all the right ways without looking overly sexualized.

"I wasn't going to stand here until _exactly_ six o'clock, hon."

Napstablook couldn't help but briefly tense up after seeing Mettaton. Not because of the tearing bags containing lord knows what, but because he was wearing the pink lipstick he kissed them all over with. They pressed an arm against their stomach out of nervous habit and smoothed down the front of their apron to try and cover up their action. Were they really going to let a pretty shade of makeup ruin their plans for the evening? They might, but they weren't going to give up so easily.

Not wanting to make the situation any more awkward than it may have already been, Napstablook took a cluster of bags from one hand and moved quickly to relocate it to the kitchen counter. Whatever the bag contained was incredibly heavy and nearly tore through the plastic before they could set it down.

Mettaton wanted to follow after them and give his thanks. However, he found himself completely stuck at their doorway. For the life of him, he simply couldn't force his legs to take another step forward. Did the ball joints in his knees need to be replaced? Alphys wouldn't be too happy about it, if it were the case.

"Uhh.... you can.... come in," Napstablook said from the kitchen.

And just like that, his joints unfroze and he managed to walk into their home as if nothing happened. He didn't think much of it at the time, and he assumed his body was lagging behind a bit and wound up sticking in one place.

Once his legs stopped having a mind of their own, Mettaton followed Napstablook's lead and placed the rest of his bags on the counter as well."I forgot what cupcakes were made of, so I just grabbed a bunch of cake stuff and then some."

They were going to ask him why he didn't look up a recipe, only to remember why they were wasting their time baking in the first place. Part of them wished they bought a cookbook like he suggested when they first started living on their own. _I can look everything up,_ they explained. _It'll just take up space and gather dust._

Soon enough, Mettaton went on to put the wet and dry ingredients into two different bowls while Napstablook prepped their oven and put the newly bought colorful paper cups in their nearly forgotten cupcake tray. They wondered why the sugar didn't go with the dry ingredients, but since Mettaton had much more experience with cooking and baking, they just went along with whatever he did.

With both of Mettaton's hands full as he mixed together a brownish-red batter with a whisk, Napstablook figured it would be an okay time to bring up what they talked about yesterday. It seemed unlikely for him to be able to set down what he was doing to physically get away from the topic, so it was their best bet.

"Do you think we can maybe... talk about yesterday?"

Mettaton stopped stirring only for a split second. "What about yesterday?"

"It's.... just the idea of you worrying about me leaving-" they crossed their arms "-It seems really.... not like you.... at all..... and I wanted to know if.... you had a reason for thinking that way...."

Without skipping a beat, Mettaton replied, "Blooky, you've been the absolute **best** partner I've ever had- even out of the few humans. Isn't it normal to think good things won't last forever?"

"I mean... for _me_ it is...." They paused. "And I thought you loved humans..? Like.... _really_ loved humans..."

"I do! I really do-" he set the bowl down on the counter and wiped away any mess on his gloves "-but some of them will only see a robot as a **thing** and not a person to love or treat with care, like you've been doing."

Their crossed arms gave a bit of slack as he spoke. He couldn't be implying something malicious, right? A human who started out looking like they had good intentions only to stab him in the back? Or was he talking about humans in general and not the ones he's been in relationships with? They couldn't say for sure. All they could think about was how it sounded as though Mettaton had incredibly low standards when it came to his partners. Seriously, how could you **not** treat your datemate with the most basic respect of seeing them as a living being? Isn't it a given?

Napstablook pulled Mettaton into a tight hug from behind, effectively snatching him from his baking. What do you even say to a person who recently shared such a delicate topic? They had no idea, not the damndest clue, so they hoped a hug and some reassuring, albeit generic, words would suffice.

"You deserve only the best people.... to be with..."

Even with as tightly as they held him, Mettaton managed to swivel around to return the hug. "I'm with you for a reason, you know."

And there it went. All their coherent thoughts melted into a mere puddle on the floor and dripped between the cracks because of a mere compliment. Oddly enough, they didn't feel like turning it around and making it out to be a bad thing. It felt nice knowing they, at the very least, provided him with what others couldn't.

"C'mon, now's not the time to sulk. I want to see if this turned out all right."

Just as Napstablook managed to come back down to earth, they noticed Mettaton about to taste some of the batter he mixed together. Right before the chocolate-coated whisk touched his tongue, they grabbed his wrist and kept it in place.

"...Is there a problem?"

"You'll catch.... uhhh...... s... samon elluh....."

Mettaton's face briefly contorted into that of a jagged smile as he desperately attempted to fend off his laughter. _Samon elluh._ The way they stared off their warning so seriously only for it to wind down and end on something they weren't sure how to pronounce really got to him, for whatever reason.

After taking a deep breath and setting the whisk down, Mettaton cupped Napstablook's sweet little face in his hands. "Monsters can't get sick, sweetheart. Also, you're adorable and I love you to bits." He then gave them a little kiss on the tip of their nose before turning back around and mulling over what to do next.

"I.... ah.... Okay...."

Almost.

They were almost able to say it back.

And yet, their words caught in their throat just as they felt confident enough to speak up.

Saying it so soon would be bad, wouldn't it? And they still weren't entirely sure if it would be the whole truth or not once it left their mouth.

Maybe some day it might be.

But not that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> love dies only when growth stops


	20. All Around Me Are...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i recently remembered that i can, like, actually read other people's fanfiction instead of writing everything myself. wild. i'm gonna fill up my bookmarks with questionable content.

"They're going to take longer to bake if you keep checking on them."

Napstablook quickly shut the oven door after hearing Mettaton's warning. They wanted them to cook as fast as possible, but at the same time they didn't want them to cook _too_ fast, otherwise they might burn.

"They'll be done in a little bit. In the meantime-" Mettaton reached over to grab the bag of chips he brought over "-do you want any of these? I know you prefer the salt and pepper ones and all. The store I went to didn't have any, though."

"Oh... no thanks...... I don't want to ruin my appetite...."

 _I didn't know they had an appetite_ , Mettaton dully thought in the back of his mind. _And a couple chips wouldn't ruin it._

"This just leaves more of them for me to eat. You know how much I love paprika."

Oh, they knew. Napstablook remembered the first time he tried them. _These look weird,_ he said.  _Sounds almost as bad as the ketchup ones._

And on that very day, he came home with the store's entire stock of them.

"Are you okay... Mettaton? Are they stale?"

Mettaton held his hand over his mouth as he found himself unable to swallow the food he attempted to eat. It wasn't stale. It tasted fine. He just couldn't bring himself to get it down. Normally, his body would only act in such a way if he tried eating something he shouldn't, such as bubble gum. Still, he could force it down if he tried hard enough, and he managed to do just that. He felt perfectly fine aside from a slight tightness in his chest after the whole ordeal.

From Napstablook's point of view, Mettaton looked like he was trying to swallow shards of glass. They couldn't remember ever seeing him look so  _uncomfortable_  before.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." He cleared his throat. "I just swallowed wrong or whatever."

"Maybe... we should get the frosting ready," Napstablook said while smoothing the front of their apron. They could tell by the sound of Mettaton's voice that he wanted to get the subject off the choking hazard, so they did what they could. "I think... they're done no-"

Seemingly out of the blue, Mettaton scooped Napstablook into his arms, carried them over to their couch and carefully plopped them down so they were sitting upright. They couldn't even ask _what_ or _why_ for a few long seconds, and by the time a single word left their mouth, Mettaton only responded with-

"It's a surprise."

And then he was off, leaving Napstablook to sit on the couch and wonder what the hell happened. However, they didn't need to wait for long.

Not even two minutes later, Mettaton came back with something in his hand and a smile on his face.

"Ta-da~!"

He then held out a cupcake with black and white frosting to them. Somehow, in under ninety seconds, he managed to not only frost the pastry perfectly, but he also drew a little Napstablook ghost on it using black frosting.

After gingerly taking it from him, they asked, "Aren't you going to have any?"

Mettaton shook his head. "I kinda lost my appetite after the chip thing. Don't worry about them going bad or anything, though. They'll save for a while if you put them in an airtight container in the fridge."

He then sat down next to Napstablook and eagerly awaited for them to take the first bite. He put a lot of effort into making sure they were absolutely perfect, and he wanted to know if his work would pay off.

"...I can't eat if you stare at me like that."

"But I wanna know if it's any good!!"

"I......" They blinked. "I'll... tell you if it's good."

Mettaton crossed his arms out of defiance, and ultimately gave into their demands and looked away. While he knew how it felt to try and eat while some creep stared at him from a distance, he still wanted to see their first reaction to biting into the sweet.

"It's fine..."

He looked back at them expecting to see at least half of the cupcake still in their hand... only to find out they ate the entire thing- in one bite, he assumed.

" **Just** 'fine,' huh? Is that why you inhaled it?"

They laughed softly. "Honestly.... I'm _probably_... going to eat most of those by tomorrow."

While he was more than happy to hear they enjoyed his baking, Mettaton focused more of the tiny bit of frosting on the corner of their mouth. Instead of telling them about it, he acted without thinking and leaned in to lick it off.

Almost immediately, Mettaton began to backpedal. "S... Sorry about that. I don't know wha-"

Napstablook cut his sentence short by quickly moving in for a kiss. The atmosphere would only become more tense if he tried to defend himself, so they played along with his impulsive actions. It'd be less awkward that way, right?

Mettaton had no problems whatsoever with the kiss, and the fact that Napstablook took charge for once made it all the sweeter.

Small things seemed to make the kiss feel more special for the two of them. The way Mettaton tilted their chin up a little. How Napstablook clung to him as they sunk back into the couch, effectively dragging him with them. It didn't take long for Napstablook to wind up on their back while Mettaton unintentionally pinned them down. His hands sunk into the couch cushions on their side of them while his knees were bent to prop up his hips. Below him, he could see Napstablook attempting to hide their face with their arms, possibly because of how bright red they'd become.

"Sorry-" Their voice cracked, catching the two of them off guard. "I..... shouldn't be so.... embarrassed by this..... since we've......"

Shifting his weight to one hand, Mettaton tugged gently at the limbs obstructing their face in an attempt to coax them into making eye contact. "You shouldn't expect yourself to get used to something so different after one... no, two experiences."

Napstablook moved their arms to rest above their head as he spoke. They nodded along with him in agreement as well. "Oh.... so..... How long should it take... for me to......"

Mettaton bit his lip. Using himself as a model, his first sexual experience was enough for him to get over being shy or awkward for the most part. He was never particularly  anxious about learning. Things sort of came naturally, even though he didn't always have such a wonderful body. The way Mettaton saw it, he was _born_ to entertain, which naturally included his ability to perform in a variety of ways that could please almost anyone. If he didn't know something, he dove in head first and asked all the 'stupid' or 'obvious' questions he could come up with. Getting answers and actively working to improve himself lead to him knowing more about the human body's intimate functions than the average human would know. Napstablook on the other hand... was born to entertain from a distance. They never liked asking questions unless they knew they wouldn't be laughed at. They were almost constantly anxious about one thing or another, and this may or may not have had to do with them being so inexperienced. Not that Mettaton minded it. He enjoyed helping and teaching them, even if what they were curious about wasn't sexual.

"It depends," he said while moving a bit of hair out of their eyes. "Let's say I wanted to do something with you right now. How comfortable would you be with it?"

"Oh.... uhh.... well...."

A pause.

"....Could you.... give me an example? I think I'd be okay... with certain things...... right now...."

Mettaton briefly ran his eyes over their body. He could think of _many_ examples to give them. More than he'd likely ever tell them. And with the apron they were wearing? In the position they were in?

"Let's assume that whatever I want to do is something we've done before, then."

He ultimately decided to go with the more tame route. There were too many options to choose from and too much room for him to say less than desirable things.

Just as Napstablook opened their mouth to give him an answer, they heard a knock on the door. Napstablook looked to the source of the noise and then up at Mettaton, silently asking if they should be the one to get up and answer it.

Being the more social of the two, along with not being the one who's face was radish colored, Mettaton got up off of them and went to open the door.

"Heya there! You're Mettaton, right?"

On the other side stood a somewhat familiar figure. He looked a lot like the rabbit monster who ran off with Mettaton's cash, only with a striking shade of blue fur instead of brown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've been noticing a lot of authors on here reacting to their commenters in the notes. is that a thing people are okay with? how will i know if someone is all right with me pointing out their cool and good comment? i have too much anxiety to address everyone, but i DO read every little comment made on all my works. even if i don't respond to them, i read them all. and i appreciate them all. thank you.
> 
> extra notes: i've been listening to tokyo ghoul's op, unravel, while writing the last bits of this + editing. just thought you'd like to know the song slaps hard. 9/10 anime. 14/10 song.
> 
> extra extra notes: sorry for the short chapter. i'm very tired.


	21. Dubious

In an understandable fit of rage, Mettaton grabbed the rabbit monster by the collar of his shirt and lifted him from the ground, causing his feet to dangle pathetically below him.

"You're so lucky I'm a nice robot, otherwise I'd be making rabbit stew right about now."

"Nono, you've got it wrong!" His voice cracked as he tried to get his explanation out. "You're thinking of my brother! I'm just here to return the money he didn't spend yet!!"

Mettaton didn't want to believe him, even though he wasn't even the same color as the monster to robbed him. He _really_ wanted to throw the guy off the roof, but Mettaton had a feeling Napstablook wouldn't be okay with that. Instead, he chose to hear him out and placed him back on his feet.

"Thank you," he said while fixing his stretched out shirt. "Here. There's not much left, but I'd feel bad if he kept it."

He then proceeded to hand Mettaton a measly twenty dollars, along with some sort of store bought CD with **V4M** sloppily written on it in black marker.

Mettaton raised a brow. "What's this?"

The rabbit shrugged. "Some short dude in a hood told me to give it to you. I couldn't see their face."

Well _that_ didn't sound suspicious at all. Who just hands out disks like that to strangers? More importantly, who actually _takes_ them?

"Look, I'm gonna go now. I didn't mean to bother you or anything."

A soft sigh slipped past Mettaton's lips. "It's fine. Sorry for manhandling you."

"Nah, I understand. I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."

With that, the monster said his goodbyes and disappeared into the night- evening, rather. It wasn't even eight PM, but one look outside had Mettaton convinced it was midnight.

"Is everything okay..?"

Napstablook sat up on the couch as Mettaton shut the door and walked towards them. They were really worried about the guy at the door for a minute. If Mettaton was alone, he probably would have wrung his neck without a second thought.

"I think someone wants me dead."

Their eyes widened. "Wh... What makes you say that?"

He sat next to Napstablook and showed them the CD. "Those are the last few digits of the virus I have. And according the the blue bunny, a complete stranger wanted to get it to me. Literally handing a robot a deadly virus is a pretty clear death threat."

Mettaton had every right to be suspicious of the disk. It looked like the kind you can buy at any eletronic store to burn pirated music onto. Though, he felt unsure of how you'd fit such a complex virus onto one. Or maybe it was someone's sick way of promoting their brand or new album. No matter what turned out to be on it, Mettaton wanted to know.

"Do you think Alphys would have a way to see what's in this thing without worrying about destroying her computer?"

"She could use.... a virtual machine..."

Mettaton blinked. "A what?"

"It's like... a computer inside a computer..... except you can download malware and stuff onto it... and it'll only affect the emulated software....."

Mettaton didn't quite understand what they were explaining, but he went along with it anyway. "So she could use a virtual machine to look at it without it screwing up anything important?"

"That's... what I do, anyway..."

"Al could totally do something like that! She's basically a tech wizard, you know. Do you wanna come with me to her place to find out?"

Napstablook nodded hesitantly. They _really_ didn't feel like leaving the house. "Yeah.... and.... I'd feel bad letting you walk there alone..."

Mettaton stood up and struck a pose, pointing towards the front door. "Let's go, then! The anticipation is killing me!"

And off they went into the dark and cold night. In one hand, Mettaton held onto the disk. In the other, he gently held onto Napstablook's hand as they walked next to him. If it weren't for the street lights illuminating their path, it would have been pitch black outside. There were no stars in the sky and the moonlight barely managed to cut through the thick clouds overhead.

The would have been the perfect setting for a horror movie- that is, if Napstablook was afraid of those sorts of things. They actually felt more at home with the starless sky and dead silence. The part of Waterfall where they lived was never particularly noisy or colorful. Any sounds normally came from their television or the rare ocassion when they didn't use headphones to listen to music. Besides, with as dark as everything looked, they were less likely to run into someone, which meant fewer awkward encounters.

Mettaton gave their hand a little squeeze as he walked. It felt great to get out of the house! Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with them indoors or anything. He just preferred going out with his partner over being locked up inside. Going anywhere and doing anything. They could wander the town all day and he'd be the happiest robot on the surface. Though, he would have preferred if he could see more than a meter in front of him. Why did it have to get so dark so quickly? It wasn't even close to being late.

"I really hope.... we're not bothering her...."

Mettaton gave a few knocks on Alphys' front door. "Are you kidding? Al loves helping us with tech stuff."

Soon enough, the door opened, revealing a sleepy-looking yellow monster. She wore a light orange dragon-like onesie- or, a kigurumi as she'd call it. Mettaton recalled Undyne getting for her as a gift not too long ago.

"You're not going to bed this early, right?"

She shook her head and gave a quick adjustement to her glasses. "I was in the m-middle of anime night. What's up?"

Mettaton handed her the dubious CD, to which she looked up at him with squinted eyes.

"Do I even w-want to know?"

"Long story short, some guy gave it to another guy who gave it to me."

Alphys looked at the disk, up at Mettaton, then over at Napstablook. "Oh! Heya, Blooky. Didn't see you there." She then stepped aside. "Why don't you two come in? It's p-pretty cold out."

Mettaton explained the disk and why they were there in more detail, and he went on to ask if there was any way they could take a look at any and all of its files without ruining her computer.

As he spoke, Alphys pulled up two chairs near her desktop so her guests wouldn't have to stand around awkwardly. And even though she had friends over at least once a week, she never really knew what to do while people were at her home. Did she give them food? Water? Should she ask if they wanted anything?

"So can you do it, or..?"

Mettaton's voice snapped Alphys out of her thoughts. "Ah... Yeah, yeah! I can t-totally check this out risk-free. It might take a minute, though."

While Alphys did her thing, Napstablook shifted uncomfortably in their seat. They were very grateful for it, but that didn't make it any softer. They tried crossing their legs to make things better, only to wind up sitting in a funny position.

"Here, hon." In one swift motion, Mettaton pulled them to sit on his lap with their legs hanging off one side. "Better?"

"M-hm..."

While his lap felt much more comfortable, they couldn't help feeling slightly embarrassed with being so close to him outside the comfort of their own home. But at the same time, they really enjoyed being affectionate with him beyond closed doors.

"Here we go! Let's see..."

Alphys clicked around on her screen for a while while; taking peeks at files and looking over wall after wall of what appeared to be a garbled mess of text. It looked an awful lot like someone just mashed their hands on a keyboard followed by the occasional coherent sentence.

**SGVsbG8hIElmIHlvdSBhcmUgcmVhZGluZyB0aGlzLCB0aGVuIGNvbmdyYXRzISBZb3UncmUgcHJvYmFibHkgdXNpbmcgYmFzZTY0ZGVjb2RlIHRvIHJlYWQgdGhpcy4gT3IgaWYgeW91J3JlIGEgc3VwZXIgbmVyZCwgeW91IGFscmVhZHkga25vdyB3aGF0IGl0IHNheXMuDQoNCkFueXdheSwgeW91J3JlIG5vdCBzdXBwb3NlZCB0byBiZSByZWFkaW5nIHRoaXMuVGhpcyBkaXNrIGlzIG9ubHkgbWVhbiB0byBiZSBoYW5kbGVkIGJ5IG9uZSBwZXJzb24sIGFuZCBJIGtub3cgeW91J3JlIG5vdCBoaW0uIEJ1dCBJJ20gaGF2ZSBubyBwb3dlciB0byBzdG9wIHlvdSwgc28gY29udGludWUgcmVhZGluZyBpZiB5b3UgbXVzdC4=**

**As you may have suspected, this isn't your run-of-the-mill CD you can buy from a general store.**

"It looks corrupt," Napstablook noted.

"N-no, it isn't corrupt at all. It's just..." She tapped her claws on her desk while searching for the right words. "Everything is in base64, which is like... binary code, but it looks like a mess."

That's the best should could explain it to them, anyway.

"And b-before you ask, I can decode it, but..."

"It'll take a while?"

She smiled meekly at Mettaton. "I'd normally go online to see what it says, and you know I can't do that right now. It shouldn't t-take more than an hour for me to decode it by hand, though! I have lots of books on stuff like this."


End file.
